Terrifying Love: A Halloween Anthology

by Serena Nova

  Most shocking was how very similar he looked to my Izel. If it were not for the little things that were different, the way his beard swooped over his jawline, or the small thin scar that was missing from his eyebrow, I would have sworn it was him. Not only that, but how was this human seeing me through the veil?

  After a moment, he grinned and waved, my heart catching in my chest at the familiar grin, and leaving me with no doubt that he had seen me. I wasn’t sure exactly how to react, so I stepped back further into the veil, letting the darkness embrace me.

  The human looked curiously at the spot I had just left, confused as to where I had gone. He walked over, his brow furrowed together but quickly dismissed it with a shrug and a shake of his head as he moved down the street.

  It was baffling how quickly the humans dismissed things they could not explain. It was one of the reasons the Gods were so absent now. Their power could not be explained, so they were better to be ignored, eventually disappearing for the most part. Though clearly, their curses remained.

  I felt like one of the men I hunted, following behind the man. But I was curious about him. Telling myself that I needed to know if he was something more. Something that I had not been able to sense in my emotional state. Since he had seen me, what could it mean?

  After a few blocks, he crossed the street and I recognized the bar he was about to enter, having followed several despicable men from this very location. It figured, someone that I found interesting was just like the rest of them. He paused for a moment with his hand on the door, seeming to make up his mind to enter or not as I watched curiously, remaining hidden in the veil. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, shocking me again as his eyes met mine and he grinned, giving me a teasing wink before pushing through the door and leaving me staring after him.

  Chapter Three

  I stared at the closed door for several minutes, knowing that I was better off leaving and going about my business. Something about him had me held in place though, and against my better judgement, I stayed. Every time the door opened, I caught myself both hoping and fearing that it was him that walked through. I wasn’t sure what it meant that he seemed to be able to see me, but I intended to find out.

  My nerves inexplicably raced as I stepped from the veil, squaring my shoulders to enter the bar. The man with the face so similar to my lover now raced through my mind and I knew I would be unable to move on unless I figured out exactly what it meant. I didn’t have to make this complicated, just slip in and find out who or what he was, and that would be that.

  The door opened again as light and sound flooded out, making me stop on the opposite side of the street, glancing up as a woman strode from the bar. Her eyes met mine as she grinned from ear to ear. “It’s a madhouse in there tonight.”

  “I can see that,” I smiled back without hesitation. Her humor at the situation was infectious, and I could tell she had a good time, but was more than ready to get away from that crowd. As she passed by me, I caught the scent of something dark, and my brows furrowed together as I watched her walk away. Someone had been near her, someone with intentions less than stellar. I looked between her and the closed door of the bar, indecision warring through me as I considered if I should keep heading into the bar, or follow her to make sure she was safe.

  It was a no-brainer for me, keeping this woman safe was more important than fulfilling my own curiosity. I let the veil envelop me again, disappearing from the view of the humans once more. I watched her bounce down the sidewalk cheerfully as the velvety softness of the veil closed around me. This was my escape and my curse.

  I kept an eye on the door of the bar while slowly trailing behind her, not at all surprised when a man stepped into the street, his eyes fixed on her in a glossy, drunken stupor. He quickly fell into step behind her, stumbling to catch up. I let out a small sigh, some things never changed.

  The shadows of the veil circled around my feet as I kept my pace between the two of them, not letting either out of my sight. I knew the exact moment that she realized she was being followed. Sound carried differently in the veil and I could hear that hammering of her heart as she struggled not to let herself panic.

  She surprised me though as instead of quickening her pace she fought for composure and calmly walked down an alley. Of course she did, they always ended up going somewhere that would make them even more vulnerable than if they stayed where people could see them.

  As I expected, the man followed her down the alley. I was surprised though as I slipped in behind her and found her not racing down the small corridor, but instead, standing with her arms crossed on her chest as she glared at the man.

  Again, I stayed hidden, watching and waiting to see if I needed to intervene. This could have always been a planned thing on their part. After all, some people enjoyed that kind of foreplay. Then again, the fear I felt from her and her racing heart told me that it was not the case.

  “Hey!” a gruff voice shouted from behind me, surprising not only me, but the two I had been following, as well. We all turned to see who had called out and I was beyond shocked as I saw the man that resembled Izel stalking toward us.

  “Go get your own whore,” the drunken man slurred.

  “Now, that is no way to speak about a lady, is it?” he tsk’d, once again giving me a wink that both infuriated me and sent waves of pleasure through me. Something I had not experienced in longer than I could remember.

  “She would have to be a lady for me to care,” he snarled.

  “Something tells me that you wouldn’t care either way. Why don’t you call it a night, and we end this here?” the Izel look-a-like suggested.

  “Why don’t you fuck off?” the drunk snapped back.

  I waited to see how the guy would respond, ready to reveal myself and step in when needed as I knew this was not going to end well. He slowly closed the distance between the two of them, the woman still standing her ground, scared but determined as she watched with me.

  “Yeah, wrong answer.” His fist snapped out and connected with the drunk man's jaw, easily knocking him unconscious and his limp body crumpled to the ground. It would have been impressive if it weren’t for the fact that the man had already been teetering on the edge of unconsciousness anyways.

  Even so, I found it exciting. Memories of my Izel doing exactly that to protect me from one of the King’s forced advances flashed through my mind. That night had been filled with passionate love-making that lasted until the sun rose. It had also been my last night with my lover.

  I shook the memories from my mind and refocused my attention. Just because the drunk was taken care of, didn’t mean that this new man wouldn’t attempt something himself. The woman was still unaware of my presence, so I remained hidden behind the veil, waiting to see what would come next.

  “Are you okay?”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do, but I wasn’t dumb enough to let him follow me home.”

  “If it ever happens again, probably better not to go into an alley alone,” he advised her, echoing my exact thoughts.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. So, what do we do now?” She glanced at the man at her feet.

  “Don’t worry about him. I’ll take care of it. Get home safe, and try to stay out of the alleys,” he chuckled as she flushed a little.

  “Thanks again,” she stepped around the man, jolting a little as he let out a low groan, before she raced past me and out of the alley.

  He watched her leave, speaking up as she rounded the corner. “You can come out now,” he looked directly at me, and I knew he was talking to me.

  I stepped from the veil and the cool night air brushed against my skin as I stared at him, a million questions racing through my mind. “How?”

  The corner of his lip tilted up just a bit and I couldn’t tell if it was smugness or amusement. Maybe a bit of both. “I don’t really know. I have only ever noticed the shadows. That is, until you.” He watched me inten
tly. “What are you?”

  I blinked at his answer. “You can see the other side of the veil?”

  “I have for as long as I can remember,” he shrugged as if it were no big deal. I thought I saw sadness flash across his features before he shook it off, his gaze still intent on mine. “Why can I see you?”

  “I don’t know,” my brow furrowed together at my lack of answers. “Who are you?”

  “Izel,” he replied earnestly. Instantly, the blood rushed to my head and had me feeling dizzy as my vision grew dark around the edges. Before I could shake it free, I found myself unwillingly being sucked back into the veil as he grew small in the distance, before I finally let the darkness take me.

  Chapter Four

  “Cipitio don’t get too close to the water.” I laughed watching my young son run along the water line as the waves lapped at his toes, his giggles making me grin. Children had no sense of fear, but I knew the dangers that the vast seas could hold so I watched him closely.

  “Mama, I’m not a baby!” he giggled again, but raced the waves back up the beach toward me.

  “No, you are a grown boy now,” I laughed as he wrapped his arms around my waist in a hug.

  “Did you see that? I outran the waves Mama!”

  “You sure did!” I laughed, ruffling his dark hair before he darted off again, his laughter echoing off the cliffs that lined the beach.

  The sky grew dark above him, rolling and churning as it grew closer. The sudden change in the weather had me terrified as the waves began to crash harder on the shores, eating up more of the beach before they crashed between the two of us and separated me from my child.

  “Cipitio! Hurry!” I called as I pushed into the waves, being tossed back again and again.

  “Mama!” he screamed, the laughter gone from his voice, and now replaced with terror as I was shoved further away from him by the powerful waves.

  My eyes flew open as his terrified screams echoed through my mind. My breath came out ragged and harsh as the tears streamed down my cheeks, my grief overwhelming that I couldn’t save my son. Not when the Gods themselves had separated us. I let myself cry as the anguish overtook me, the sight of my son's terror-stricken eyes burned into my memory forever.

  It had been a cruel trick of the Gods. One that I would never forget. A promise to spare my son, and yet force me into a life of forever searching for what I could not have. Both my son and my lover.

  As the tears subsided, I recalled the night before. Or whenever it had been before the veil sucked me back in. The man that claimed he was Izel. Was this just another trick of the Gods? Teasing me with what I could not have?

  Everything in me shouted that there was no way that man could have been Izel. I had watched him die. I had cradled my son in my arms as he took his last breath. There was no denying that he had seen me though. No denying the effect he had on me, or on the veil for that matter.

  I glanced around me, finally taking in where I was. The feeling around me told me that it was still in the veil as the air here was like nowhere else. I was in a small grove of trees I didn’t recognize though, and as I tried to get my bearings, I noticed for the first time that a young, beautiful woman sat and watched me quietly.

  “There you are,” she said gently, her eyes full of understanding and compassion.

  “Who are you?” I found myself repeating the same question as I had the night before.

  “I am known by many names, but none of that matters at the moment,” she replied, waving my question away as she stood and crossed to me. Her movements were fluid as she seemed to practically glide toward me, the very veil seeming to part for her as she sat next to me.

  “You have had a hard life, Sihra,” she said almost regretfully.

  I nodded, there was no denying that it had been rough. I also didn’t know what she expected me to say. I wouldn’t have changed any of my actions though, for doing so would have changed the parts of my life that I cherished so very much.

  She smiled, “Perfect.”

  I blinked in surprise at her sudden declaration as she clapped her hands together. “You might very well fix this after all.”

  “How do you know me?” I asked, already knowing that I was not going to get an answer, but I had to try. “Fix what?”

  Her smile grew, lighting her whole face as she spoke, “That I can’t say. But I will tell you that you are close. Closer than ever before.” She leaned forward and gripped my hand in hers, the warmth from her seeping into me as I stared wordlessly at her. Not only were her actions strange to me, but the fact that she had so much light and warmth flowing from her in the veil left me baffled. Everything here was shrouded in shadows and chilled. So why wasn’t she?

  I took a deep breath, somehow her presence calming and soothing me as I had not been in so long. “I’m tired.”

  “Soon,” she said cryptically before she patted my hand and stood. The darkness enveloped me again and I let myself be embraced by the quiet once more.

  Chapter Five

  I woke slowly, the sun warm on my skin, rousing me and gently pulling me from my slumber. For once, I felt truly rested, not haunted by the memories that plagued me. Though I easily recalled the night before, and how strange it all had been.

  Who had that odd woman been? I had never come across anyone like her in the veil before, and I doubted I would again. More so, how did she know me, and what did she mean with all of her cryptic conversation that led nowhere? Why did I have the feeling that somehow it was all connected to the man who called himself Izel?

  “Good morning,” a deep voice reached me and had me jolting upright, noticing for the first time that I was on a large bed. I had to stop letting myself get stuck in places that were unknown to me. Stop letting my mind wander to places that kept me so distracted I might have been in danger myself.

  My eyes met the man’s as he watched me closely, “Izel?” I breathed out, unable to deny the similarities, but still not letting myself hope that it could be him.

  “Yeah, it seemed to shock you last night, too. You took quite a fall when you passed out. I didn’t really know who to call, so I brought you back here until you woke up.” He looked at me guiltily as he realized that there were plenty of options that would not have ended up with me in this bed.

  “Mmhmm,” I nodded my head slowly, studying him as I did so. Everything about him shouted that he was my Izel, though I knew it was impossible. The way his eyes danced with humor, or darkened when he was angry, like last night, it was all so similar, and so familiar. “Do I know you?”

  He stared at me for a moment, “I don’t know.” A frown marred his face as he heard the truth in his own words. “How can that be? I know we have never met before, yet I feel like I have known you my whole life.”

  “I don’t know, but I want to find out,” I replied firmly. “Let’s start with why you followed that woman last night.”

  “I swear it wasn’t to hurt her,” he blurted out, making me grin.

  “Clearly. So why?” I laughed inwardly at the way he shook his head in denial. I knew already that he had no intention of harming that woman. What I didn’t know was what made him follow her to save her.

  He shrugged sheepishly, again the movement was one I knew all too well from both my Izel and our son. One that meant he was caught doing something he would rather not have to explain. Silence filled the room as I waited for his response. At last, he spoke, “I have always had this need to look out for those around me. Particularly women for some reason. Sometimes, I just know that they are going to be hurt, and it seems to cause me some sort of pain inside when I know what is about to happen. When I know I can step in and protect them, I can’t help myself.”

  “Have you always been like this?” I asked, tamping down the hope that rose inside me as a glimmer of an idea occurred to me.

  “As long as I can remember. Though I’m not sure why.”

  “Does the name Cipitio mean anything to you?” I questioned.

>   He thought for a moment before looking at me regretfully and shaking his head. “Should it?”

  “I’m not sure exactly,” I answered honestly. I didn’t know what I had been hoping mentioning my son would do, but it clearly hadn’t worked.

  “Is this Cipitio the reason I can sort of see the veil? Actually, see through it when it’s you?”

  “No. It was silly to think you might know him. The worlds are small, but not that small.” I gave him a small smile as I stood from the bed. “Thank you for your hospitality, and for not, you know,” I motioned to the bed.

  “It wouldn’t make me any better than them if I had, would it?” He stood as I drew nearer to him. My pulse quickened and my stomach clenched as my eyes fell to his full lips. Ones that I was sure were capable of doing very wicked things to my body.

  I bit my lower lip and shook my head. “I guess not. Thank you again.” I darted for what I hoped to be the door out of there, stopping when he called out.

  “Will I see you again?” he asked hopefully.

  I met his gaze, forcing myself to not run to him, beg him to remember. “I’m not sure,” I said quietly before fleeing from the room and back into the safety of the veil.

  Chapter Six

  I had no clue what I had been thinking when I mentioned my son to him. Mentally, I beat myself up for even allowing myself to hope that it would mean anything. That this man that shared my lover’s name, hell, shared my lover’s face, would finally mean we were all going to be reunited.

  The Gods were cruel, I would give them that. There was no way they didn’t have a hand in any of this. I knew that for certain. Did they not have anything better to do with themselves now that the humans had all but forgotten them? No longer calling on them for favors seeking out their help.