Enchanting Wilder

by Cassie Graham

  “Same woman?”

  “Yep. Red hair, yellow dress, gold eyes, same scream, same red-eyed demon.”

  He pulls off to the side of the road, the morning already in full swing. “Not good.”

  I’m starting to think he’s right. “Where are we?”

  “Just outside of Cleveland. I’m exhausted, you take over.”

  I drive the entire rest of the way, letting Wood sleep until we hit Boston.

  When we come upon the little town of Summerson, I stop at a red light and glance around, watching people excitedly walk about the streets. I’ve never seen a town so lively before. Most places are void of any people actually walking around, but here it seems to be something everyone does. Not that I’m complaining, it’s a nice change from the hustle I’m used to.

  “It’s like Pleasantville.”

  I nod.

  “Must be a small town thing.”

  “Probably,” I say.

  Wood and I aren’t used to a hometown feel. We live just outside Denver, and it’s pretty much devoid of people in general. Living off the beaten track doesn’t seem as homey as it sounds. It’s boring.

  The light finally turns green and I make my way into the Main Square. Pulling into a grocery store, I point. “We need food. Check in at the hotel across the street and I’ll meet you there.”

  Wood hops out of the car, jogging to the office of the Redmond Inn.

  Walking up and down the aisles of food, I mindlessly toss snacks and water into my basket. I give myself a mental slap when I realize grocery stores in Massachusetts don’t sell alcohol. Who thought that was a good idea? I should have gone to the convenience store. When I figure I have enough to last us until tomorrow, I walk toward the cash register and load my groceries onto the conveyer belt. The cute cashier blushes and flirts with me as she swipes my items. I give her a wink before I walk out, causing her blush to turn a deep shade of red. Proud of myself, I smile and pull out a bag of chips, popping a few into my mouth. Just as I lower myself into The Sting, I’m halted with the image of the girl from my dreams.

  Only, she isn’t in my dream and I’m not asleep.

  The beautiful redhead walks gracefully past my car, flashing a smile at the store’s greeter. Before I can comprehend what I’m doing, I’m stumbling out of my car behind her.

  It’s her.

  Holy shit, it’s her.

  “Yes,” I whisper into my phone, suspiciously eyeing my surroundings. His boots stomp loudly behind me but I don’t dare chance a look. “Declan’s here.”

  Candy cackles on the other end of the line and I secretly want to freeze her damn bra. “Quit overreacting. He’s probably not following you. He wouldn’t even know who you are. But, you’re definitely not scared. I can feel it. You’re excited.”

  I roll my eyes and toss a bag of popcorn in my cart. “This Sephra Link can suck it.”

  She laughs again, but she’s right. I’m totally confused as to why Declan is here, but I can’t deny seeing him in person sets my skin on fire. When Sally assigned him to me, I had no idea I’d have this sort of connection with him. The moment I saw him in his dream, I knew he was special. Not to mention, drop dead I-want-to-bathe-in-his-sweat gorgeous. The man has smoldering light emerald eyes, almost a mint color, and dark caramel hair I can envision myself tugging and pulling while doing insanely inappropriate things.

  I can tell—in his eyes—he’s got something beautiful in him. He’s rugged and manly, maybe even a little broken, but he’s got something buried deep within him. He’s breathtaking. Even though we aren’t allowed to interact with our Granders, I had—still have—this overwhelming urge to go to him, to embrace him and steal his worry away.

  I’ve gone to him twice now—the most I’ve ever been in a dream with anyone. It’s totally against protocol, but I couldn’t stop myself. In all my years, I’ve never seen a red-eyed demon. I almost feel like I’m not doing enough. I mean—I know I’m not doing enough. Hell, I don’t even know what the point of his dream was. Usually there’s a clear set script I’m to follow. Show the Grander two options and hope they pick the right one. But in Declan’s dream, I was simply thrown in as a spectator. Was I supposed to show him that his path lead to this red-eyed demon? Was I supposed to save him from the demon? Was my presence in the dream needed at all? All of these thoughts swirled in my head and I have no answers.

  But, now he’s here—possibly following me—and something tells me there’s a reason. Probably one I’m not going to like.

  He couldn’t have seen me as me in his dream. I disguised myself as a bird, like I always do, so why is he following me like he recognizes me?

  Ugh. Sweet merciful God, he’s gorgeous. Why does he have to be so handsome? Why couldn’t I have gone into some ugly, greasy man’s dream? I don’t normally get attached, but with this guy, he makes me curious. I shake my head. Stop it with the nonsense, McKenna. He’s your Grander. Nothing more.

  “Hello?” Candy says, shaking my over-exaggerated thoughts. I completely forgot I was still on the phone with her.

  My cart catches a corner, hitting a soda stand and I stumble. “Dammit. Crap.” The phone drops into the front of the cart and the echo of the clank against the metal in the almost empty store pangs loudly in my ears. “Sorry, Candy.” I pick up the phone. “Still there?”

  She giggles. “Good God, get it together, woman.”

  I sneak a peek behind me and Declan isn’t there anymore, so I take a deep breath, letting Candy’s feelings wash over me. I pull from her serenity and let it work its way into my bones and down into my soul. Once my body is covered in the warmth of her emotion, I sigh. “He’s not here anymore. I’m going to let you go. I have to finish shopping and run to the post office. Talk to you later?”

  “Sure. Call me if you need me.”

  I hang up the phone and shove it into my purse. Taking a few more cautious glances around the store, I only notice the young cashier up front. I sprint to her and quickly unload my groceries, and then practically fly through the sliding glass doors leading outside after I pay.

  The unseasonably cold October breeze smacks my face, blowing my hair in a flurry of tendrils. Shoving my cart in with the others, I load my arms with my bags and head to the car. I hurriedly walk down the alley between the grocery store and the bank next to it, dodging potholes in the aged ground. I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea to park in the back of the store, but the farther I walk, the more intense my uneasiness become. My eyes narrow when my little white car comes into view. Before I can breathe a sigh of relief, I’m knocked back against the wall by an unseen force. The bags in my arms fall to the ground and I feel the trickle of milk on my feet from the broken glass container. My head subtly lands against the brick, and, when I’m not met with the debilitating pain I was expecting, my eyes fly open to find Declan staring at me with fury. I’m taken aback by his annoyance but his minty breath washes over my face and I tilt my head to study him. He’s much more handsome than I remember.

  His forearm gently pushes the top of my chest against my neck, just enough to let me know he isn’t going to hurt me—but he could if he wanted to. His eyes widen when he finally looks into mine. He gasps. His hold on me loosens a little and I squirm, hoping to wiggle away.

  What in the hell are we doing?

  “Who are you?” he scorns in a harsh tone, his words scraping against my body. They almost wound me.

  My eyebrows furrow.

  “Tell me. What are you?” he urges. His arm becomes rigid once more and I strain to breathe.

  “What am I?” I shake my head and he grits his teeth.

  “Yes. Now answer me.”

  I shove against him with all my might. I know he can fight me off, he’s got a good fifty pounds on me, but he lets me free and steps back, wiping the sweat forming on his upper lip. His hands fall to his sides and he fists his fingers, his knuckles turning white.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I say forcefully, my combat
boots bumping into his as I step closer to him.

  Declan’s nostrils flare. “You do. Don’t do that. You’re something. I just can’t figure it out.”

  I scoff. How can he know what I am?

  My head jerks in erratic spasms and I pull at my hair. “I’m nothing.” He’s making me crazy. I bend down to pick up my bags, ready to get the hell out of here. “And thanks for breaking my gallon of milk.” I lift the soggy bag. “Asshole.”

  I turn my heel to stalk away when he grabs my hand. “Stop.” He lets out a lungful of air. “Stop it.” He frees me and steps back. “I have to know.”

  “There’s nothing to know,” I assure compellingly. Number one rule of being a Strix is never, under any circumstances, tell your Grander who you are. Once you do that, the entire system breaks down.

  I turn away, but he pulls me back harder this time. “I saw you.” His pupils dilate. “I saw you in my dream.”

  This time, I drop the bag full of broken remnants of my milk bottle onto the ground, covering both of our feet in the thick liquid as it seeps out. Neither of us look down. Spilled milk is the least of our concern at the moment.

  Unnerved, I shake my head. My hands begin to tremble and my heart rate accelerates to an unhealthy speed.

  I know he sees it. My uncertainty. He can sense it in my demeanor. He knows he’s caught me. There’s no way to lie my way out of this.

  But how? There’s absolutely no way. None. If he saw me, then something went wrong. There are very few people who can see me in my true from in dreams, and most of them are supernatural beings. Witches, werewolves, vampires, shifters, those things can see me. There’s a reason why Strix don’t go into their dreams. It’s unsafe for us to be outed. When paranormal creatures know of our identity, it gets dangerous. They’re able to seek us out. Make us extinct.

  But the question is why could Declan see me?

  “What are you?” It’s me who asks this time.

  Declan steps back, surprised I turned the question on him. “What am I? I’m nothing.” He looks at me like I’m the crazy one, the vein in his forehead throbbing.

  I stand my ground and step closer to him, feeling more courageous. “You’re not. If you saw me, that means you’re something.” I just don’t know what.

  “So you are something…” He watches me for long moments, studying my expression, my eyes, my mouth and my neck. Everything—everything he can see, at least. His leg bounces and I can tell the gears in his mind are turning. “Oh for shit’s sake.” He throws his hands out and slaps them on the side of his legs. “I’m a Pursuer, all right?” He says it like he’s angry with me for wearing him down.

  But my intake of breath gives him a clear sign I know exactly what that is. Normal people wouldn’t know. Mortals would scoff at the word. Pursuer, that sounds made up.

  They’re the Superhero’s of my world—the supernatural world. I’ve always wanted to meet one. Even as a child when my parents would tell stories about Pursuers, we never fully believed. Hell, they didn’t believe. It was stories to help us feel protected. Stories to remind us of the good in the world.

  Clearly on the brink of insanity, his eyes manic, he continues, “Now, tell me what the hell you are.”

  Dammit, I’d hoped he’d forget to ask me.

  I study him for a minute feeling relieved. He’s a Pursuer. A real-life monster fighter. They’re mortals, sure. Trained to be like warriors, but they’re the buffer between peace and hysteria. They protect the balance.

  That’s why he could see me. He’s part of the supernatural world.

  At least one good thing came out of this cluster of insanity—I know I can trust him. If he’s a Pursuer, he’s on the right side of the fight.

  Declan’s chest heaves as he shoves his shaky hands into the pocket of his jeans.

  “Declan,” I say, raising my hands in surrender, letting him know I’m not going to go another round with him. His eyes expand when I say his name. Like I’ve been let in on a secret he wasn’t ready to tell. “I’m a Strix.”

  “Motherf…” Declan curses, looking down at the concrete. “You aren’t supposed to be real.”

  My eyes narrow and I cross my arms. “Right back at you.”

  A shadow of a smile creeps on the corners of his lips but he returns to his narrow eyes and stoic expression. “Touché.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting my own smile, my posture softening a little.

  He chews on the inside of his lip while scratching the back of his head. The gold, engraved ring on his left hand shimmers in the sunlight, the gleam catching my eye. A strange sensation bubbles inside my belly and I fight the pressing urge to ask him where he got it.

  Feeling lightheaded, I step back and let my shoulders fall against the cool brick wall. “You could see me,” I say, stunned as perspiration begins to form on my forehead. “You could see me and Sally sent me to you.” I’m talking out loud, trying to rationalize, and Declan has no idea what I’m talking about. Holy crap, why did Sally give me his name? Did she not know what he was? “How did this happen?”

  I glance back up, and Declan’s puzzled expression mimics my own. Panic rises in my throat, suffocating me.

  This isn’t right…My feet instinctually move away from him, toward my car.

  “I—uhh—I have to go.” Sliding my eyes to the side, I tug away from his grasp. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m turning, my boots hitting heavy on the black asphalt with loud thumps as I run away. When I’m finally in my car—minus all of my damn groceries—I allow myself to look back at Declan. He’s still standing in the alleyway, all alone with his head in his hands. He looks toward my car and kicks the wall—our wall—and screams loud enough for me—and anyone else in the vicinity to hear.

  My tires squeal to a stop in front of my house. I don’t bother parking in the garage. Candy’s car is nowhere to be found so I rush through our red front door and bound up the stairs. Tossing my keys on the dining room table, I make my way to the kitchen. Quickly filling a glass with water, I down it in a few gulps.

  Closing my eyes, I sit down on the ground as I center myself and attempt to call Sally. “Come to me, for I need your hand. Sally, it is you who I can depend.” I repeat it over and over. Four or five times out loud.

  Squinting one eye open, she’s nowhere to be found. My mouth pulls to the side and I huff. She’s always around. There’s been very few times when she hasn’t come after I call. I shake my head and dust my butt off when I stand, giving up.

  Walking to the kitchen, I pass a picture of mom and dad and kiss the air as I walk by. There are a few times since they’ve passed I thought they were nearby, trying to give me some sort of sign, but I keep talking myself out of it. We were taught when a Strix dies, they stay that way. Because of the work we do, and the side of good we stay on, our souls are gained automatic access into the Heaven. That’s the place we all know about but don’t really know if it truly exists. We know it’s there, but we have no concrete evidence as to what it really is. It could be the same as mortals’ Heaven for all we know, but the only thing we care about is that it’s not Hell.

  Opening the stainless steel fridge, I let the cool air cascade over me as I stare at its contents. I don’t know why I continue to gaze at the mostly empty space for so long. I never cook, which means there’s hardly ever any food in the house. Especially now because Declan ambushed me and I forgot to pick up my bags of groceries. I groan. Dammit, I really tried to be an adult today and it just didn’t work out. We’ve got wine, some cheese, a loaf of bread and an expired looking jar of peanut butter.

  Nothing looks appetizing, so I slam the door shut, feeling on edge. The window above the sink opens slightly on its own and I turn to see Sally standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She leans against the wall, looking angelic in a light green dress and nude colored flats.

  “Jesus.” I grab at my shirt. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  Sally pulls at her long blonde hair and w
alks to me with a smile on her face. “Nope. Not Jesus. Just me.” She laughs and I give her a level stare. “Sorry, McKenna. I was in a meeting with The Leaders. They’re all up in arms about Declan.”

  The mention of his name sends shivers over my body and I have to sit down at the table. “Declan? Why?” I try to appear nonchalant. I only told her about the first time I saw him.

  Sally cocks her head and takes a seat across from me. “You know why. The moment you put yourself in that dream a second time without letting me know, The Leaders were put on high alert.” Dammit. She already knew? She shakes her head and squirms uncomfortably in her seat. “Declan saw you, McKenna. This is a huge deal.”

  I clasp my hands together on top of the shiny, wooden table and stare at them as unease fills my belly. “Did you know he was different?”

  “What?” she scoffs. “No. I had no clue.”

  “And The Leaders? They didn’t know?”

  “No. Though it does seem odd they didn’t. They don’t even know what he is. He can’t be mortal.” You have no idea, Sally.

  She contemplates for long moments.

  The moisture in my mouth disappears, but I can’t make myself look up at her.

  She shifts again in her chair, sensing my restlessness. “McKenna…” This time, she says my name as a warning. She knows I’m about to tell her something she doesn’t want to hear. Of course she knows. The woman is my Spirit Guide. I can’t hide anything from her. She’s the only other person besides Candy who truly knows everything about me.

  She exhales as I continue to play my own personal silent game. I was really hoping we wouldn’t need to have this conversation. I didn’t even know she knew I went back into his dream. I didn’t tell her. I didn’t think I needed to. I figured it was best to do what I thought I had to do and leave everyone else out of it.

  Obviously I was wrong.

  It’s totally out of the norm for me to go against the strict rules. But the look on that demon’s face, combined with the worry I saw on Declan’s, I knew I had to do my best to warn him again.