by Brandi Bell
When the movie was over I walked Grady to the door for one last kiss before he left. I decided to read some more in my alone time. I laid down on the soft bed and looked through my book choices. There was an interesting one about a light fey princess who was engaged to a dark fey prince in an arranged marriage to unite their two people, but a question of betrayal. That looked perfect so I downloaded it.
Some time later, when I was just getting into my book, my phone rang. I answered. “Hello? Hello…. if you aren’t going to talk don’t bother calling.” It was really creeping me out, feeling the stares, knowing Ruby has felt them too, and now the calls. I wasn’t sure if my nerves could take much more. I picked up my phone, dang it Grady and I still didn’t remember to exchange numbers. Everytime we got together, phones were the last thing on our minds.
I decided to call Mom and see if she had any guidance.
“Hello, sweetie. Are you enjoying yourself?” Mom answered.
“Surprisingly I have been. How are you, how is the shop?” I asked.
“We are both good. I don’t think that is why you really called is it.” She said more as a fact than a question.
“I need some advice,” I admitted. “I have been getting a creepy feeling someone is watching me. Ruby has felt it too. Now someone is calling my hotel room and is breathing into the line, not talking, then I just hang up. I’ve a bad feeling, but I'm not sure what to do with that feeling.”
“Trust your gut. Did you take your cards with you?” Mom asked.
“Ruby didn’t pack any of my witch stuff Mom. Can you read for me?” I nearly begged.
“Of course sweetie, give me a moment,” She placed the phone down. I could hear her shuffling around the room looking for something. “Ok I found my favorite deck. Lets see what the cards say. The past card is Strength, this denotes power, passion, lust. This person wants to be in control, had lustful feelings and then felt out of control. Present card is Justice this person feels wronged and wants to get even. He wants to get what he deserves. The future card is The Wheel of Fortune your life is guided by destiny, nothing we do now will change what is going to happen to you,” she sighed. “All major arcane Jade this isn’t good, and I hate knowing I can’t stop what’s going to happen to you. It just feels off. Be careful and look for magic to be involved. I’m so sorry sweetie that I can’t help further.”
“It’s ok Mom, I know you’d do anything you could for us. I was hoping the reading would help, but I’ll be aware at the least. Maybe the Wheel means the situation will resolve itself and that’s why we don’t need to interfere,” I tried to placate myself.
“I hope so sweetie, check in with me when you can, I’m leaving a voicemail with Ruby when we get off the phone and I suggest you leave a note where she’ll find it as well. Talk to you soon,” Mom replied.
“Bye Mom.”
If my Mom was worried, I knew enough to be worried myself. I penned a letter right then to Ruby explaining the tarot reading mom gave and the phone calls. I just had to hope she took it as serious as I did.
Chapter 5
After I finished writing the letter I felt very vulnerable. I decided to call downstairs and put a “Do Not Disturb” on my phone line so I wouldn’t have to hear the mouth breather again. I realized it was late afternoon, so I took a chance and knocked on Grady’s door. He answered it with his shirt off and I almost came undone there in the hallway. His smooth chest gave way to a six pack. You could just see the v line heading into his pants.
He opened the door and saw me, then a big grin spread across his face, “Jade, what brings you to my door?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go downstairs and get a late lunch, maybe a couple of drinks?” I asked nervously, still on edge.
“I’d love to, but what’s wrong. You are acting a bit off,” Grady said with a concerned look.
“It’s nothing,” I started, but didn’t want to lie. “It’s not nothing, but I’m not ready to talk about it. Maybe after a couple of drinks?”
“Come on in while I get my shirt on,” Grady sighed.
His room is set up similar to mine, but a glance in the bathroom showed no soaking tub. I silently celebrated that I got the room with the tub. Grady didn’t take long to get dressed, though I missed the sight of his rock hard abs already.
We moved downstairs to the restaurant that boasted a bar in the lobby and headed for seating in the back. I wanted something nice, greasy, and full of carbs, so when the waitress came to take our orders, I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a large side of fries, and a Singapore Sling to drink. The drink tasted like liquid smarties and I just loved it. Grady copied my order but stuck with rum and coke.
We chatted while I drank my first drink, then I felt the hair on my neck stand up. Someone watched us, well more specifically me, and it had me on edge. Grady noticed my demeanor change again and confronted me. “You were starting to relax, and now you are acting off again. Please tell me what is going on.”
“I keep feeling like I'm being watched, and not in a good way. I told you the other day when I felt it, and you dismissed it. Ruby wrote me that she has felt it too. Now someone is calling my hotel room and just breathing deeply into the phone and not talking. I don’t know what to make of it but it feels bad, like really bad. I called my mom and she read my cards. It didn’t give many answers except for nothing good would come of what is fated to happen,” I explained.
Grady sat and listened patiently then said, “I only dismissed you because you said it felt like someone watching you. You left the not in a good way out, Jade. That isn’t good, I trust your gut as well. Don’t answer the phone anymore, and let’s exchange cell numbers now. Give me your phone.”
I handed my phone over and Grady put his number into my contacts, then sent himself a text before he passed my phone back. I waited until he was done saving my number in his phone before I started to speak, “I want to find this creep.”
The waitress picked that moment to bring us our food, I declined a refill on my drink, I wanted my wits about me if something were to happen. I enjoyed the comfortable silence, while I indulged in the greasy goodness and comfort that only a burger could give. Once we were full, and the food nearly gone Grady posed a question, “Jade would you let me read your cards? I have a deck upstairs and since I’m physically closer to you than your mom, maybe they’ll shed more insight on what’s going on?”
“Yeah, that would be good. Maybe they’ll read different, and the distance was just tripping Mom up,” I replied half heartedly, knowing deep down that they won’t change.
We headed back up to Grady’s room. For some reason I felt way more nervous for him to read my cards. It made me feel more vulnerable than I was expecting. I sat at the table while he went back to retrieve his cards. My nerves were making my knee jump. I closed my eyes and tried to take deep breaths and calm myself down. It wasn’t any different than Mom reading my cards I reminded myself.
Grady was sitting across from me when I opened my eyes, looking at me curiously. “Would you rather do a three card pull, or a Celtic cross spread?”
“Let’s just do a three card pull to start, if you feel like it will help to do the cross after I’ll agree. Does that sound fair?” I asked.
“Sounds good to me,” he said as he starts shuffling the deck. “Ok, draw three.”
I tried to keep my nerves under control. The first card I pulled was Strength, my heart started pounding. The second card I pulled was Justice. My stomach was now in my throat as I pulled the third card, Wheel of fortune. The exact same reading my Mom gave.
Already knowing this, Grady reshuffled the deck. Pulled three cards himself. Same results, Strength, Justice, then Wheel of Fortune, he sighed, “Should we even bother doing the cross? It’s very firm on the fact that this is what is going to happen.”
“No need to waste time on a cross when we already know nothing we do is going to change what is happening,” I say on the verge of tears.
Gr
ady stood up and walked around the table, picked me up and just held me. I started crying then completely lost it. Not just normal crying, but ugly crying. I felt so out of control and there was nothing I could do to regain it. He just held onto me until I was done crying. I felt so lucky to have someone like him in my life, even though I had just met him.
“I feel so useless to help you, and it sucks,” Grady growled. “If I could just understand what is going to happen…”
“We still couldn’t change it since fate has played her hand,” I reminded him. “It’ll be ok. I trust the Goddess, she’ll make sure I come out the other side of this.”
“I’m just worried what condition you'll be in… I care for you, Jade, I know I haven’t known you for long, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m developing these feelings. I want you here with me so we can explore where they go, that’s if you feel the same way,” Grady confessed.
“I’ll admit I’m developing feelings for you too. I hadn’t thought a relationship with someone would ever be possible, because of the situation with Ruby and me. We’ll explore where this goes. I’m not going anywhere if I can help it,” I said with determination.
I reached up and touched his face, he gazed down at me and then suddenly his lips crashed down on mine. His tongue ran across my lips, asking them to part. I complied and our tongues were dancing. I melted into him further, the fluttering turned into a tightening lower in my belly. I was so lost in the sensation it took a bit to realize someone was knocking on Grady’s door. He broke off the kiss, sat me on the bed, and kissed my forehead before he answered the door.
He walked back to the bed with a concerned expression on his face. He was holding a letter in his hand. His silence bothered me, so I had to break it, “What’s going on, Grady? You are making me nervous.”
He just held the letter out to me. The letter was addressed to me, but the directions on the envelope specified it should be delivered to Grady’s room. My hands shook as I opened it.
Ruby,
Or is it Jade now? It took me a while to figure out your secret. Now I know how you hid so easy from me, but I’ve found you. I’ am watching every move you make. You know you belong with me. I’ will prove it to you. No one will ever be as good for you as I'll. I can make you happy, you just need to surrender to the fact I was made for you, and, you for me. It’s not a choice anymore. I'll help you to see. I know everything and I'll do whatever I need to, to make you remember that I'm the only one for you. Don’t make this hard on yourself. Just come to me and we can be happy. Don’t disappoint me again.
Yours forever
Well, that was beyond insane. I felt myself panicking, but didn’t know how to stop it. I shook so hard I couldn’t hold the letter still.
“What did it say?” Grady questioned.
I couldn’t find words to speak, so I just handed him the letter and watched him read it. His face darkened as he got to the end.
“Son of a bitch!” Grady yelled. I jumped not expecting it. “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just don’t like that this maniac is after you and Ruby. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe. I know the other guys will help. I’m going to call them over. They deserve to know what’s going on.”
I nodded, still unable to form words. The part of my brain that was still functioning told me I must be in shock, but I couldn’t shake it off. I listened to Grady making phone calls to the guys. When he finished, he sat next to me and rubbed my back until there was a knock at the door. He answered it and Elias and Liam followed him in.
“What’s going on that we had to come over right away?” Elias asked sounding annoyed.
“Read this, then we’ll explain everything we know,” Grady said, as he shoved the letter at the men standing there.
Elias held the letter while Liam read over his shoulder. The annoyance Elias was displaying quickly turned into a dark expression, almost feral. If I hadn’t known he was a shifter before, this gave it away. I felt a jolt of new fear down my spine. I’d heard stories of shifters losing control and changing due to intense emotions, and I really didn’t know how much control of their animal form they had. I really needed to learn more.
Liam took the letter from Elias and guided him to sit in the chair. He gave Grady a dirty look, “I think you better explain now, and fast.”
Grady looked to me and I nodded, I felt like I could talk now. That jolt of new fear broke me out of the shock I felt.
“You guys remember at the upside down house, how I said it felt like someone was watching me?” They both nodded. “Well it gave me the creeps, it felt off... I tried to brush it off, but I’ve felt it again since then, and Ruby admitted she has as well. Today someone started calling my hotel room just breathing, and now I’ve received the letter you read. That’s about it,” I explained.
“She left out the fact her mom and I both read her cards and they both ended with the same result. Destiny is controlling the situation, so we can’t change what’s going to happen. Someone is going to stay with Jade and Ruby at all times. That’s how we'll going to keep them safe. We won’t let fate prove us wrong,” Grady almost growled at the guys.
Elias, who has regained his composure. “I agree to protect you and Ruby with my life, Jade. No one will hurt you if I can help it.”
“I’m just a human, but I’ll do whatever I can, Jade,” Liam added.
It was getting close to time for Ruby to wake up so I tried to excuse myself back to my room. The guys disagreed, so we compromised on Liam coming with me, so I wouldn’t be alone. I was a little worried about Ruby’s reaction to Liam being there, but I hoped the fact that I stayed in my clothes and his explanation would placate her.
Chapter 6
A letter was taped to my forehead again when I came to. Ruby wasn’t happy about Liam being there. I pulled on the letter and heard someone breathing, I jumped up and looked around. Grady sat in a chair not far away.
“Good morning, baby. I wanted to be the one here when you came back,” he explained.
“Thanks, um I need to read Ruby’s letter, would you mind ordering breakfast and coffee? I’m starving,” I said feeling shy.
“Sure thing,” he said, then kissed my forehead on his way to order food.
I turned back to Ruby’s letter.
Jade,
What a surprise to wake up to Liam in our room. You’re lucky that I believe it was innocent or you’d be sorry. Obviously this guy wants me but I don’t know who it is. There have been so many men in my past. I think you’re all getting worked up over nothing. You are a witch and I’m a fucking vampire. Who’s going to be able to get the jump on us? Besides we have a shifter, a witch, and a vampire in the band. You need to lighten up and have fun. Quit worrying about everything. Especially some loser stalker that is deluded.
XOXO
Typical, Ruby doesn’t take anything seriously. I stretched and noticed I was still dressed in one of Ruby’s outfits. I smiled a little, she wanted to play the same game. It irritated me that she wasn’t taking this stalker guy seriously, but I guess she could’ve been right. What was the harm in having fun if nothing we did could change the future.
I got up, took a quick shower, and got dressed for the day. Breakfast was waiting when I returned, and Grady just grinned at me.
“What’s up your sleeve?” I asked.
“We are going to Disney princess,” he started belly laughing.
“Haha, very funny. Eat your breakfast so we can go,” I said excitedly. “Oh, and let’s not forget the sunscreen this time.”
Before I knew it we stood in front of Disney World. I was so excited to see the park that I had wanted to visit since I was a kid. I decided to not let anything ruin the experience.
We spent the day going on rides, and looking at stores. We ate lunch and dinner in the park to maximize our time. I was exhausted by the time we walked back to the car, and I hadn’t felt creepy eyes on my back at all. Maybe that place really was mag
ical.
We made it back to the hotel within minutes of sunset. Grady stayed with me while Ruby and I changed places, it was kind of sweet.
A continuous loud thumping sound happened as I became aware of my surroundings. I was standing on a dance floor with Liam grinding in front of me. I glanced around and Elias was grinding behind me, and Felix was sprawled out on the floor. I looked back and forth between Elias and Liam, both looked wasted.
“What the freaking heck is going on here!” I screamed at Liam.
He stopped and did a double take. “Oh Shit, Elias, man it’s after sunrise, how are we going to get Felix back?” he shouted over my head.
Elias blinks and looks around, neither man looked drunk anymore. It was almost as if they were under a spell. I looked around and could see changed vampires laid out throughout the club, while the rest of the revelers danced on as if in a trance. I was curious if this place was ran by a succubus or an incubus, but didn’t want to stick around to find out if they really existed.
I grabbed Ruby’s phone, and was thankful that it had Grady’s number in it.
“Jade?” he answered the phone. “Where are you. I’ve been trying to call everyone for hours. I’ve been worried to death, my locator spell is hitting a brick wall.”
“We’re in some club, Felix is out on the floor, and the other two appeared drunk until I snapped them out of it, there’s some foul magic at work here. I’m going to help them load Felix up in the car and get him on the bus. Get some sleep. We are all fine.”
“That’s a relief. Either come to my room or call me when you get back. I won’t be able to rest until I know you’re here.”
“Fine, but try to rest until we get back.”