“Riley! Lucas!” she called out, waving her arms to get the smoke to clear. She saw a shape emerging from the plume. “What happened?”
“We saw him,” said Lucas in a stunned tone. “He was right here by the truck.”
“Where’s Riley?”
Lucas spun around, calling out for his brother. They heard a groan and raced towards it. Riley was sitting on the ground rubbing his head.
“Riley!” she cried out, falling to her knees. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
Lucas and Melinda helped Riley to his feet. It took a minute for him to get his bearings. Melinda let out a worried whimper.
“I think he hit me or something,” Riley told them.
Melinda looked at his head but didn’t see any open wounds. “No blood at least.”
“You’re okay?” Lucas asked him again.
“Yeah. I’m okay. I don’t know that he hit me so much as did something strange to my head. I felt this pressure over my skull, sort of like something was dripping down over my skin and then this pain, like I’d been hit.”
Melinda breathed out in relief. “At least you’re okay. Lucky break really. Would be disastrous to have you guys get hurt first time helping. Brothers would have a field day with that.”
“I’m good,” insisted Riley. “We can just skip over this part of the story if you prefer.” It wasn’t like he wanted to share the fact that he’d nearly been knocked out by some short, freaky looking dude. Especially with William, Mr. Vampire Perfection to rub it in.
“So what did you guys see? What did he look like?” asked Melinda.
“Jagged teeth,” started Lucas with a shudder. “A mouth that’s way too large for his head.”
“And he was short. Thin, kind of wiry, but like Lucas said, a really large face with a grin I would prefer to go without seeing again.”
Melinda shuddered. This thing wasn’t only real, but creepy.
“Did you see where he went?”
“No. He was here, and then that smoke exploded everywhere and he was gone,” Riley said. Melinda leaned back against the truck, watching him rub his head.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Does it hurt?” she grilled. “We could stop by the hospital and get it checked out, just in case.”
“Only thing hurt is my pride,” he insisted dolefully. “I’m fine. Really. It doesn’t hurt anymore, just feels weird. Like there’s still something dripping down my head.” He shivered at the odd sensation.
Melinda frowned, hoping he really was all right. If this strange man was what they thought it was, and she was now fairly certain it was, they could be tricky and sometimes dangerous to deal with. She turned to Lucas. “And you’re okay?”
“Me? Fine. Didn’t get that close to me.”
When explaining things to them earlier that day, Melinda had left out the suspicions of what this strange man was... a Feyk. There just hadn’t been a place to fit it into the conversation, and seeing how little Lucas and Riley knew about the supernatural world, she figured they’d never heard of one. She shook her head, troubled.
“If this thing is what I think it is, we could be in for some serious trouble.”
“You mean with my head?” asked Riley.
“Oh. No. Not so much that as just the Isle, in general.”
“What do you think it is?” Lucas questioned.
“If I’m right, and at this point I’m pretty sure I am, it’s a Feyk.”
“Feyk. You mean like Fey... Faeries?” asked Lucas.
“You’ve heard of them?”
“Yes. Read about them actually. I don’t really like magic, but I do read up on it. Historical reading, mostly.”
Riley nodded in agreement. He remembered Lucas mention them.
“Well these Feyks are in the Faerie family, but the worst kind. A Firebrand Feyk. Tricksters. Hired guns of the supernatural community, so to speak. Usually hired to wreak havoc. They don’t normally hurt people intentionally, but if someone gets caught in the crossfire, they don’t really care.”
“Maybe a local hired them, to help keep the whole supernatural mystery alive,” suggested Riley. “You were talking about that news reporter, maybe the station hired them. Or she hired them. Wait, how would they even know about something like Feyks?”
“Hard to say, on all counts, and it’s not impossible, but...” she trailed off.
“But?” pressed Riley.
Melinda bit her lip nervously as she didn’t want to explain what this Feyk confirmation also meant. She sucked in deeply before explaining.
“You guys should know that the last time any Feyks made trouble on the Isle...” she stopped unwilling to say the words.
Lucas shook his head. “When I said historical reading, I should have said, Deane history. I am aware… the Feyk allied with the Deanes during the battle for the Isle.”
Melinda nodded. It looked more like an, I’m sorry. “I know it has nothing to do with you guys, it’s just...”
“Really suck-ass timing,” finished Riley.
“Super sucky.”
“So what now? You want us to drop you somewhere? Should we pretend this whole thing didn’t happen?” asked Lucas, half-joking, half-serious.
“No. Let’s head back into town. I’ll try Charlie and Michael on the way, see what’s up. See what they’ve found out. I trust you guys,” she had the sudden urge to say. “They’ll just have to as well.”
Lucas tossed her a kind smile and got back into his truck.
Riley helped her back into the cab and she slid in, sandwiched between them.
Lucas got them back on the road while Melinda left Charlie a message. He didn’t pick up. Neither did Michael. Or William.
“Dang it! What is it with people not picking up their damn phones today?”
No one answered her calls.
She glanced at Riley, he was staring intently out his window.
Lucas stared straight ahead, his face hardened and deep in thought.
“Are you sure you guys are okay? That whole thing was pretty weird for you, huh?”
“What?” said Riley. “Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a minute.” He reached down and grasped her hand.
Lucas glanced over. “Not freaked out at all. Could use some processing time, it’s definitely a new experience, but not freaked. So no one picked up your calls?”
“No. I left messages. Just head towards town and I’ll try again in a few minutes.”
“You worried something’s happened to them?” asked Lucas.
“Nah. Probably just busy, or already on the phone, or in William’s case, he most likely doesn’t even have his turned on. Never mind he can’t ever figure out how to answer the damn thing.”
“And Lizzy’s with him!” added Lucas with a coarse laugh. “They’re not going to be answering any calls. I guarantee you, she’s ten times worse than your vampire friend when it comes to technology. She’s got a pretty good excuse though.”
“She does, yes. William, though, is so smart and moves so fast. I can’t believe he’s so bad at things like answering a cell phone.” Melinda let out a chuckle. It was a funny thought. She mocked them trying to answer a call, getting Lucas laughing even harder.
“Lizzy has only been human again for a few weeks,” Melinda said. “But William’s been around for hundreds of years and you’ve never seen anything like it. He can move at lightening speed, literally fly to my side in a flash when I call for him… but if you could see him try to type! Oh. My. God! He uses one finger. One. And has to search for each letter and hit the keys one at a time. It’s completely ridiculous.”
“Also a very funny thought,” agreed Lucas, casting a glance in her direction. But rather than a smiling Melinda, he caught the gaze of a glaring Riley.
Melinda felt the ease disappear, replaced with tension.
She’d brought up William again. It was just funny talk though.
“You two are getting nice and chummy,” Riley st
ated in a jealous tone.
“Um, what?” Melinda replied, confused. She’d have thought he’d be thrilled she and Lucas were getting along. She assumed he’d be upset that she brought up William again.
Lucas cast him a confused side-glance but ignored his brother.
“And is it possible for you to have a single conversation that doesn’t revolve around your bloodsucker?”
And there it is... “It was a joke, Riley. I can’t keep him out of the conversation all the time. He’s a part of my life. You need to accept that and get over whatever weird ass jealousy you’ve got going on.” She didn’t mean to lay into him but it was getting on her nerves, these sudden turns in his mood.
“It’s like you can’t go ten minutes without talking about him. Oh William. He’s so grand. He’s perfect. We’re just the best of friends,” he mocked poorly.
Melinda folded her arms, no other response except anger and irritation.
“Riley, that was uncalled for,” stated Lucas in her defense. “I wasn’t hitting on your girlfriend, and it was a funny story, plain and simple.”
“Yeah, however you want to play it,” Riley threw back.
“Excuse me?” said Melinda hotly. “I think that Feyk hit you on the head harder than you thought.” Her anger turned to hurt, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Stuck in the middle of two Deane brothers was suddenly the most uncomfortable place she could be. Maybe asking them to assist was a bad idea after all.
Riley sighed, rubbing his head. He let out an irritated grunt. “Melinda, God, I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from. Maybe I do need to get my head looked at.”
She unfolded her arms but wasn’t ready to forgive him.
“Sorry, Lucas,” Riley added, leaning forward to see his brother. Lucas waved him off with a shake of his head.
Riley grabbed Melinda’s chin, gently turning it so he could look her in the eye. “I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry. It was a funny thought. I don’t know why I reacted like I did.”
She wanted to say because you’re being a childish, jealous guy. But instead, she caved. “Are you absolutely sure you’re okay? We could stop by the hospital and have a doctor take a quick look at your head.”
“You know, maybe we should. Is that okay, Lucas? I’ve got the wickedest headache all of a sudden.”
“Of course,” replied Lucas, speeding up. “Better safe than sorry.”
“I’ll try my brothers again, see if they answer,” Melinda added in frustration. She purposely left out calling William, hoping not to upset Riley again.
Did she really talk about William that much? She’d promised to keep it to a minimum, but maybe around Riley she needed to keep it to herself. Nevertheless, William was a part of her life. She didn’t know how to leave him out of her conversations completely.
Melinda peered at Riley. His mood swings were becoming a little more of a rollercoaster than she could handle. She liked him. A lot. A super lot. But her life was already a rollercoaster ride and she wanted Riley to be her solid ground.
She pleaded silently with anyone in the cosmos in charge of such things, to let it be so.
CHAPTER SIX
William strode towards Emily Morgan’s store, Harboring the Book. Lizzy wasn’t far behind, but she strolled along, forcing him to slow his pace.
The streets of The Demon Isle were buzzing with tourists; the weather was sunny and warm. It was also buzzing with discussion of the strange sightings, another of which had been reported on the new D.E.S.I. Blog just minutes ago. It was hard to tell whether people were afraid they might see this strange man, or whether they were excited and hopeful they would see him.
The sun beamed down, but did not warm William’s skin. Thanks to the potion the Howards made him, his skin did not burst into flames. The sun, to a vampire, was basically like having an allergy. The reaction to it being to burst into flames. But only after blistering and getting very crispy first. It wasn’t an instant death. It took a long and painful few minutes to finally burst into flames. And then burn to death, just like any other body burning to death. It was not like the movies where flames erupted and then boom. Ash pile.
The potion blocked this reaction though, just like taking allergy meds for hay fever. As long as he was on time drinking the potion, the sun did not hurt him.
William wondered how long Lisbeth Deane’s vampire fiancé stood on the cliff before finally burning enough to plummet to his death and turn to ash before hitting the water. It had to have been excruciating. He sighed. He did feel bad for her. He just didn’t want to deal with her. They’d had their moment. His moment of weakness… it was enough.
He glanced up at the sun. The potion provided protection from it, but the sun did not give him any warmth. It did not soothe his muscles or seep into his bones. It did however, seem to clear his head, his thoughts suddenly apparent and obvious. He spun around, effectively stopping Lizzy in her tracks.
“So that we are both perfectly clear, it will not happen again.”
“Oh, so you have been thinking about me,” she replied with a naughty grin.
His face was stone.
“Look,” she started with a whatever tone. “It was a one-time thing. I guess technically it was more than once.”
William stared fiercely, unwilling to give in.
“Oh, get over yourself, William! It was something I needed. Something I wanted. I had it. You obviously needed me that night, you can’t deny that fact. It was what it was.” She shrugged. “I’m not some crazy psycho chick that’s going to call you every fifteen minutes begging you to take me again.”
“Very well,” replied William, clearing his throat. “I am the only vampire on the Isle… I just thought perhaps you had a thing for vampires and…”
“Thought I’d be chasing you around like a lovesick teenager?”
He lifted an eyebrow in a perhaps response.
“Please. Give me some credit, William. Sure, I kinda have a thing for vamps. But I’m not a one-track-mind kind of girl. And to be honest, now that I’ve had a few weeks to get used to being in my body again, I’m happy. And ready to move forward. And you helped me get there. So… thank you.”
He sighed. “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry. I did not mean to be rude.” He saw then that he’d been a fool. A fool who’d let his imagination get away from him. That his thoughts had fallen into a very human minded way of thinking. The more he thought about this the angrier at himself he became.
“Don’t worry about it. But since we’re being honest, I should probably tell you I sort of lied. Just a little...”
“About?” he growled.
“About, I have no idea how we’re going to find anything about the Soul Hunter at Emily’s store or on that web thingy. I just wanted to get you alone and clear the air. I don’t like tense air. The taste is bitter. And it was obvious you were avoiding me, and for no valid reason other than making yourself miserable with crazy delusions.”
William exhaled, his temper flaring again. “Fine then, Lisbeth. If you want clean air… you should know that I do not date humans. So don’t get any ideas.”
“I thought we already cleared this up. Besides, I wouldn’t call what we did dating,” she replied with an impish grin. “Oh look, I’d almost swear you were blushing.”
“I do not blush.”
“Look, I may have been a ghast for far longer than I’d care to remember, but I wasn’t born yesterday. You’re a vampire.” She said it a too loudly, getting the attention of a young girl not far away. Lizzy shot her a wink and giggled as if to say, joking.
William was growing more agitated by the minute, regretting his choice to accompany Lizzy, and leave Melinda in the hands of the Deane brothers.
“Can we continue to the bookstore?” he asked. “Although I don’t see the point now.”
“Oh, you never know, it might turn up something. Besides, the walk will do you good. Maybe if you stand in the sun long enough a few of those rays will sink i
nto that exquisite pale skin of yours and get you in a better mood.”
William closed his eyes, grimacing.
“You’re such a brooder,” Lizzy stated dramatically.
His eyes opened wide, swimming in a look of perplexed irritation. “I do not brood.”
“Oh. My. God.” Lizzy stated. “I’ve seen some brooders in my day and you are the worst!”
“Am not,” he retorted hotly.
Lizzy got to her tiptoes and smacked one straight on his lips. “Are too,” she whispered devilishly.
William pulled away, his nostrils flaring.
Lizzy laughed.
“People let you off the hook far too easily,” she said decidedly. “You mope around all like, I’m the only vampire on the Isle. I’m all alone. But I won’t date human girls... and then you wallow and brood about how miserable you are.”
William’s fangs dropped and he flashed them with a snarl.
Lizzy didn’t bat an eye, unimpressed by his display.
William, horrified that he’d just flashed his fangs in public and in broad daylight, spun around, staring at the wall of a building until they’d retracted. Why did Lizzy get on his nerves so? It was as if she enjoyed pushing every button and somehow knew what would agitate him the most.
He turned back around, his human self again, only to see Lizzy grinning in a manner meant to say, I totally won that round. He resigned to dealing with her until their task was completed. Which shouldn’t be much longer seeing as visiting Emily would most likely prove a waste of time.
Lizzy wrinkled her nose, biting her lip. “I want to tell you something but I think it’s going to make you angry.”
“Too late,” he retorted.
“I used to follow you,” she revealed anyway. “When I was a ghast. I realized what you were, knew you’d be interesting to watch.”
“You spied on me?”
“No. Never spied. Just followed now and then, during many of your late night strolls around the Isle. You often talk to yourself, out loud. I enjoyed listening. You have the most interesting conversations with yourself.”
A Nightmare to Remember (Wicked Good Witches Book 5) Page 8