by S. D. Grimm
I granted my attention to his piercing blue eyes, and they stole my breath. It was clear I had never met him, but real me recognized him: Wyatt.
He stared at me for more than a moment, and then half of his mouth slid up and his eyes lit in a smile. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”
Southern English accent. Warm and welcoming, but completely surprising. Something in my stomach warmed and I smiled, sure my cheeks were heating. “The marchioness wishes for you to ready her horse, Mr.…?”
“Wilcox.” He dipped his head low in a bow and looked up at me with that lopsided smile. “I will have the horse ready for her shortly.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Miss…?”
“Elderson.” I smiled politely at Mr. Wilcox, but his return eye contact pulled a real smile, and it surprised me at how easily it came. “You’re new here?”
“The marquis hired me recently.”
I approached the mare he’d been petting and ran my hand over her silky nose, aware of Mr. Wilcox’s eyes on me. Heat flushed up my neck, and I glanced at him askance.
His tunic was tattered along the edges, and small tears near his knees revealed that his breeches were threadbare. Even his left shoe had a hole in the top. He seemed to notice me looking, for he rubbed the back of his neck and stepped away from me. “I should probably—” He motioned over his shoulder with his thumb and didn’t finish the sentence as he walked away.
“Mr. Wilcox?”
“Yes?” He turned to face me, eyes expectant.
“As you know, the marquis and marchioness will be away for a few weeks. Tonight, many of us will gather in the ballroom for dancing and music. I hope you will join us. But it’s a secret. No one wants to get in trouble while the cats are away.”
The smallest smile lit his eyes. “Thank you, Miss Elderson. I will most definitely be there.”
I curtsied as I left, nearly tripping over my own skirt, and entirely too pleased that his smile deepened when I looked over my shoulder to wave again.
The memory swirled, but I didn’t want to pull out of it, so I allowed it to take me deeper into the night. The sounds of music played beneath the setting sun, and faces of people I’d never seen but apparently knew laughed and danced as the light of day lingered for a little while longer.
I had yet to see Mr. Wilcox, but wondered how late his chores would have kept him. A bit of disappointment sank like a stone in my chest. He might need all the daylight he had left today.
“Miss Elderson?”
I turned at the sound of my name to see a truly handsome man with dark hair and deep, blue eyes. My heart rose, light and buoyant. And my face flushed. The fact that he caused this much fluttering in my chest made me quite embarrassed. I could barely look at him as I spoke. “Mr. Wilcox.”
He smiled and held out his hand as if asking for mine. “May I?”
I grasped it. His rough fingers touching mine sent a shock of warmth through me. He smiled shyly and I took him in. He wore a jerkin and doublet, and it showed off his broad shoulders and muscular chest nicely. The sleeves and edges were tattered, and he was missing at least one button, but it was hidden except when he extended his arm.
His fingers were warm. Calloused. Rough. Hands of a man who worked hard. He lowered his head, a small crinkle in the corner of his eye made me think he was quite self-conscious.
Even his confidence seemed to wane as the arm he’d linked with mine lowered. Briefly his eyes flicked to mine. “I-I realize I’m not—”
I squeezed my arm against his. “Are you about to apologize for your wardrobe, Mr. Wilcox?”
He sort of laughed, more self-deprecating than anything, and glanced shyly at me. “More my lack of money.” He looked around the ballroom at the other men all in their Sunday best—which didn’t compare remotely to the wealthy people, but did show their status as servants of the rich. “This is my only doublet, so I fear that while it’s my best doublet, it’s also most definitely my worst.”
I laughed outright and it felt amazing, as if some deep-seated worry that this vision didn’t disclose to me melted, warm like butter over a stove. “Whether your best or worst, I think you’re quite handsome.”
His eyebrows rose and those blue eyes widened magnificently in a way that revealed his true youth, not only in age, but also in the naïveté of these formal customs—clearly he wasn’t a servant of nobility before coming here. He’d be someone who wouldn’t be afraid to take me from the restricting structure in this room and out into the warm, summer air. Under the moon. The stars. Something my brothers would never approve of.
Brothers?
That thought tried hard to drag me out of this memory, but I didn’t want to go just yet. I pushed myself back in.
Wyatt, er, Mr. Wilcox led me toward the dancers. “You are too kind, Miss Elderson. For your beauty surely outshines everything in this room.”
“Outshines? Really, Mr. Wilcox. It is you who is much too kind.”
Then a true smile lit his eyes.
“Wyatt, what do you have here?” A saucy young man approached us, a mug of beer in one hand. Clearly another new hire. “A beautiful jewel if I ever laid eyes on one.” He extended his hand and kissed the back of mine. He glanced at Wyatt. “Do you mind?”
Did he mind? What if I minded? I stiffened. I’d seen his kind before, but I could care for myself. I touched this man’s hand. “Are you offering a dance before introductions, Mr.…?
“Denton. Why yes I am. My apologies, lovely lady.”
“It’s Miss Elderson. And I hope you can keep up.”
“Keep up?” He reached for my hand as I slipped it from his grasp. “Where I’m from, a man leads.”
“Where you’re from, the men must get lost often.”
Denton stood there dumbfounded for a heartbeat, but Mr. Wilcox bowed his head and hid a smile. In that moment, I caught his gaze. Mr. Wilcox stepped in and offered his hand. I took it. I didn’t look away from his eyes as he led me to the dance floor.
Cade might have teased me relentlessly about never letting another man bridle my heart, and Nick would have scrutinized any man who attempted to rein me in, but this man didn’t try to. He offered leadership. I simply respected him like I’d never respected another man.
I breathed deep as the memory blacked out.
My whole body shook. Cade.
Cade I knew.
But Nick? Who the heck was Nick?
And what were Wyatt and I doing in fourteenth-century England? Holy heavens. I pressed my hands over my ears as my heart raced. I needed to make this stop. I checked my phone. It had only been two minutes? How had all that happened in two minutes?
I leaned my back against the cupboard door to catch my breath and slow my pulse. Whose memories were these, and why were they replacing things with people I already knew?
Except Denton. I’d never seen his face before. And yet he’d been in my memory.
And Cade. I’d spoken of Cade as if he was my brother. We had the same last name. That made sense. I could easily put him in that memory because of the name similarity. Except why had he appeared in these memories before I’d met him?
Heart hammering, I glanced up the stairs to where Wyatt had gone.
Maybe he was upstairs having a memory right now. Maybe not. I could be alone in the craziness. Either way, I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Quietly, I removed his sweatshirt and folded it up. I set it on the table and left.
Chapter Seventeen
Cade
I woke to Nick shaking my shoulder and standing over me with a glass of water that I wasn’t sure whether he meant to splash in my face.
“How are you feeling?” He handed me the water.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes and took the glass. Then I managed a teasing smile. “How was school?”
“It sucked. So did work. How’s your head?”
How long had I been out? That memory this morning had flattened me. I noticed blood on my pillo
wcase. I’d missed school again, which I knew Yuki wouldn’t be thrilled about, but I still had this weekend to make it up to her, and I would win her over. I had to.
Nick headed toward my bedroom door. “The U-Haul is here, so if you’re feeling up to it, I could use some help unloading.”
“As in actual furniture.” I got up and followed him downstairs. “As in, we can have company over and they won’t wonder if this house is a front for something else.”
He chuckled. “Don’t get too excited.” He opened the screen door and slid the little metal piece of hardware to keep the door open.
There sat the truck. Yeah. I wasn’t getting too excited at all; it had to be the smallest one U-Haul had. “Please tell me there’s at least a couch and TV in there.”
He opened the back and the truck’s door slid up with a rumble. “Wish granted.”
I peered in. There was real furniture all right. Just the basics. But it all looked heavy. “At least we should be done in time to hit that bonfire party tonight.”
“Bonf—” Nick grumbled something incoherent. “No. We’re hunting tonight.”
“How did you not know about the bonfire? Lisa invited all the senior boys.” I rolled my eyes. “Ava will be there, no doubt.”
Nick eyed me for so long I was starting to think he was going to chew me out. “You go to the party. That many warm bodies near the woods on a full moon night is a recipe for disaster.” He turned around, hopped into the truck, and picked up one side of a coffee table. “And talk to Ava.”
I dropped the ramp then turned to help him. “You’re going to hunt alone?”
He raised his eyebrows and stared at me. “Your concern is touching, but I’ve been hunting alone for almost two years.”
Right. I swallowed. Last full moon night he’d made me stay home, then again, we’d just met. “Do you think I’ve trained enough for a full-moon hunt?”
Nick paused, clenched his jaw. Did that mean yes or no? “You’re fast, Cade. You’ve remembered a lot over the last month of training. I think you can do this. I wouldn’t put you in danger if I thought you weren’t ready.”
That was good to know. But I had yet to face a werewolf. That thought made my chest tighten. “You really think the monsters will show up there tonight?”
“Teens in the woods with alcohol? Absolutely. And you’re going to help me keep them safe.”
So far all of our hunting outings had consisted of one, maybe two, creatures. I’d heard him talk about how all the things that go bump in the night liked to come out during the full moon. Something about the whole population of werewolves wreaking havoc made a wonderful party for all the other nightmarish creatures. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“Who’s going to protect them, Cade? That’s our job.”
“Yeah. I just—” I bowed my head, unwilling to look him in the eyes. What if something triggered another knock-out migraine that left me for dead in front of some beast? None of this sounded okay.
“You afraid you’ll get a memory?”
I looked up at my brother. He breathed deep and rubbed his hand down the side of his face. “It’s a valid concern, but you usually don’t get the memories until it’s all over—after the adrenaline wears off. Don’t worry, though. Tonight, all you have to do is keep the others safe. I’ll do the rest.”
I helped him lift the coffee table, and we headed toward the house. He’d do the rest. I’d babysit a bunch of drunk teens, and he’d keep them all safe without my help.
Because he clearly didn’t need it. My chest burned. Apparently, I was good for one thing: getting Ava. I glared at him over the table and wasn’t even sure why, so I shook that away before he could see it.
We reached the door, but the piece that should have propped it open had slid, so the door had closed. I set down my end of the table and opened the door. “When am I going to learn to be the fighter you are?”
He looked at me. “As soon as possible.”
“That sounds ominous.”
We walked through the front room and kitchen and into the family room, where he set his end of the table down. Then he headed back out without a word.
“Nick, what aren’t you telling me?”
He stopped, taking in a deep breath. “We keep people safe from monsters, Cade.”
“Yeah. I got that.” I crossed my arms, but he headed back out to the truck, so I followed. “I’m just going to remember.”
“I know.” He whirled around.
“So why not just tell me?”
He wiped his hand over his face. “Monsters are just part of it. There’s also an order of Dark Phoenixes. One of them in particular is after us.”
“Us. As in Ava, too?”
“Most definitely.” He headed back for the truck, and I hopped into the back to help him with the next piece of furniture. He’d grabbed a box, though, and headed toward the house.
Getting information out of him was going to be harder than expected. I picked up a box, too. “Why is this Phoenix after us?” The door slammed shut behind me.
“She wants to kill the Light Phoenixes. She…creates monsters like the ones we’re hunting.”
“We are Light Phoenixes?”
“Yes. We exist to protect humans from all the evil creatures of the underworld. Dark Phoenixes don’t care about man. They…would rather humans didn’t exist. Only Phoenixes. So they use the monsters to hunt and destroy.”
“Wow. Why?”
Nick shrugged. “Long story. Let’s just say once a Phoenix fell for a human and turned him into a Phoenix.”
“We can do that.”
Nick seemed unsure how to answer. “Not anymore. Anyway, that human-turned-Phoenix wanted revenge. He didn’t actually love the Phoenix who turned him. Decisions were made to take away certain powers and, voilá, Dark Phoenixes were born.”
“You’re saying one human bent on revenge ruined everything?”
“Basically. But he’s head now. This Phoenix who is after us is continuing his work so to speak.”
“Whoa. Okay. So these Dark Phoenixes tend to hold grudges.”
Nick massaged his forehead as if he had a headache. “Yes.”
“And the one that’s after us—”
“Is the worst of them all.”
“Who cares if this evil Phoenix kills us? We just come back again.”
Nick sighed and leaned against the kitchen island. “Here’s the thing, we don’t get unlimited chances to destroy her.”
Whoa. Okay. I held out up my finger for him to stop right there, then I pressed my hands on the counter as I processed.
“You okay?” Nick leaned close to me, his eyebrows pulled together.
I cleared my throat. “The headaches. The bloody noses. You said you don’t get sick when you remember?”
He shook his head and swallowed hard. “I think you’re almost to your last cycle.” His voice cracked. “You’ve been getting steadily worse these last few times you’ve come back.”
My pulse quickened. “H-how many cycles do I have left?”
His shoulders drooped, and the look on his face was so dejected. “If we can kill this Dark Phoenix who’s hunting us, you’ll keep coming back, forever. If she kills you again—”
“Again?” I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs and they ached. I braced myself against the counter, trying to breathe. Trying to think. To wrap my head around what that meant.
Nick winced and pressed his face into his hand. “Yeah. She—she kills us every time.”
I gasped, surprised at how shaky my breaths had become. My knees weakened.
“Cade, are you—”
I held up my hand. “Are the memories killing me?”
He leaned his head in his hand. “In a previous cycle, she tricked you. And now—when your memories come back, she gets them, too. It—it’s sucking your life away. Your powers—I think it affects your powers.”
I needed to sit down. This could not be real. Every breath
hurt. “How do we—”
“Ava can kill her, for good.”
My eyes snapped up to meet my brother’s. “Only Ava?”
“That’s right.” He flipped on the kitchen lights and they flickered, still trying to come on. I totally felt like them. He handed me a glass of water.
I drained it. “Why does it affect my powers?”
He didn’t answer right away, nor would he make eye contact. “Let’s just say you made a mistake.”
“What the heck kind of mistake causes someone to drain my powers from me lifetime by lifetime?”
Nick just stared at me.
“You going to answer me?” I couldn’t believe I was yelling at him over my past mistakes. The thing was, he knew what they were and wouldn’t tell me. I clenched my jaw. Not remembering anything was starting to get very frustrating. “Does this woman have a name?”
“Yes. But she changes it. Maybe she thinks it makes her more elusive.” He offered a slight smile. “It’s usually some variation of Gwen. Not always.”
I chuckled. “Okay, so Gwen the Psycho Chick. Great.”
“Psycho Chick?”
I set down the glass. “Well, until you come up with something better, that’s what I’m gonna call her.”
Nick pulled out a soda and popped the lid.
“So if you kill her, she comes back?” I swallowed. “If I kill her?”
“Same.”
“Are my powers too weak for that, also?”
Nick set the can on the kitchen island and leaned his back against the counter behind him. “You have a different kind of power.”
None of this sounded helpful. “So I’m totally useless?”
Nick’s lips pressed together and he scowled. “Cade.”
“What? It’s obviously true.” I crossed my arms.
“No. It isn’t.” His voice was hard.
The room seemed to spin, and I gripped the edges of the counter, tight. “H-how long until she finds us?”
He winced. “When she gets her memories back and gains enough strength. So…not long.” He nodded toward the front door. “Come on. Daylight’s burning.”
I tried to even my breathing and followed him toward the door. Leave it to my jerk of a brother to drop an important conversation because he thought I was too fragile to handle the stupid memories. I gripped my head as a faint throb pulsed behind my eyes. Actually, remembering right now might be a terrible idea. Maybe Nick had become well-versed in when to stop sharing information with me. I wasn’t going to press it, then. Not when these thoughts seemed to tug at hidden memories. Memories that were possibly killing me. Possibly giving Psycho Chick access to my past. Not to mention, I was pretty sure the memory that tapped on my brain was the memory of the biggest mistake of my lives. I followed Nick back out to the truck with one burning question on my mind: if we’d never succeeded in killing Psycho Chick before, how would we now?