The Wendigo Witchling

by B. Kristin McMichael

“This way, my liege,” Whitney said in her best British accent.

  At that, Cassie rolled her eyes and went to the left in the direction the receptionist had pointed her. She stopped at the door. They hadn’t been given any key to open it.

  Whitney reached past Cassie and swiped the ID card she was holding.

  “This baby gets you everything around here,” she explained, pushing open the door.

  Cassie paused at the doorway. When they reached the mountains on their drive, Nate and all the voices with him disappeared. She hadn’t heard or felt him since, but something now nagged at her. Something felt out of place. Cassie peered into the lavish room in front of her. It was strange and almost like a fairy tale. Whitney was grinning as she opened the balcony door. She was more than relaxed; she was ecstatic. Cassie had to be worrying about nothing. What could go wrong? They were going to get to play princesses for a weekend.

  Cassie glanced down at her dirty jeans and T-shirt. If Whitney was right, and Turner was some sort of royalty amongst the night humans, then was it really appropriate to meet him in the clothing she just ran away in half a day ago?

  “We will go shopping later,” Whitney told her as she pulled her to the elevator. Turner had called and was already downstairs waiting for them.

  “Yeah, but he’s royalty here,” Cassie complained.

  He hadn’t said he was the last time she met him, and she would have never guessed, but everything now was very clear, from the portrait on the wall in the entrance to their pictures on everything official in the hotel room. Turner was a prince in the night human world they were now in.

  “And so are you, don’t worry,” Whitney replied.

  Cassie highly doubted it, even if her pass said it bold and clear. She didn’t want to even look at it because it didn’t say Cassie Booth but rather Cassandra Bay, mate to Nathaniel Bay. It made her cringe just to see her name as if she were already married. She might not have liked her last name much as it was, but it was still hers, and now it was gone.

  The elevator ride down was quick, and the door dinged as it opened. Locking her arm in Cassie’s, Whitney pulled her out into the hallway and to the lobby. She knew all too well that if left to her own, Cassie would have stayed on the elevator to go back to their room.

  “I promise we won’t stay out too late,” Whitney told her as they turned the corner to get a full view of the lobby.

  “We better not. Do you know this is the first time in almost a week I don’t have all those extra voices in my head? I’ll finally be able to sleep,” Cassie complained.

  “You know, if you weren’t here and were in the outside day human world, a comment like that would most likely get you locked away in a psych ward,” a male voice said from behind them.

  Whitney spun them both around to the person talking. He grinned at them with his boyish charm and reddish brown hair. He was just as handsome as the last time Cassie saw him. She was beginning to think that being a night human-made you look better. It was strange that everyone around her was good-looking growing up, but now she could see it was because they were all night humans.

  “Glad to see someone let you in on our little secret,” Turner continued. “And who may you be?”

  “Little?” Cassie mumbled as Turner took Whitney’s hand and kissed it.

  Whitney blushed.

  “This is my friend, Whitney,” Cassie added, as they stared at each other.

  “Mm-hmm.” Turner nodded to Whitney. “A cat. I like kitties.”

  Whitney blushed further and was a loss for words. Cassie couldn’t help but stare at her friend. Whitney was never a loss for words.

  “What brings you guys to town?” Turner asked as he offered an arm to both Whitney and Cassie at the same time.

  “Well, she accidently got a mate, and we were able to tell her everything, but they decided to lock her away. I had to orchestrate a prison break. This was the only place I could think of where we would both be welcome; I figured Cassie needed to go on a good, old-fashioned road trip,” Whitney explained as she finally came back to her senses. She took his arm, and he led them out of the hotel lobby and onto the sidewalk. Turner led them on their walk, taking them further into the downtown.

  “And we didn’t know it was going to cause a problem,” Cassie added.

  Turner laughed. “I have a feeling anywhere you go will cause a problem,” Turner replied. “I’ve met the Bay family before, and they are very possessive. How in the world did you get mated to a night human without knowing about them?”

  “Guess you don’t have to know the truth to form a bond. It can be all on secrets and lies,” Cassie said a bit more bitterly than she had intended.

  Turner didn’t miss a beat as he laughed more. “You’re one of the strangest day humans I’ve ever met.” He stopped at an ice cream store.

  “I’d rank you in my list of night humans, but I’m not too sure who I’ve met that was one or not,” Cassie replied. “It’s still all so confusing. Whitney said the sidhe are night humans, but I never once saw anyone drink blood while I was there.”

  “Devin, nope; Nessa, yes,” Turner explained, naming two people Cassie had met.

  “Which makes even less sense,” Cassie complained, Whitney stepped forward to look at the selection of ice cream. “Devin was casting sidhe magic left and right. How is he not one?” Cassie wanted a handbook to explain it all.

  “Devin’s a special case.” Turner looked at the worker.

  “What can I get you?” the teen behind the counter asked, finally finding a spot to speak.

  Whitney grinned like a child in a candy shop. “Strawberry cheesecake.”

  “Chocolate truffle,” Turner ordered.

  Cassie looked at the case. They were discussing night humans that drank blood while standing in what seemed like a normal ice cream store. It was very surreal. If she hadn’t met the night humans and seen the monsters who tried to kill her with her own eyes, she would have never believed anyone.

  “Mint chip for her,” Whitney ordered for Cassie when she didn’t speak.

  In the blink of an eye, all three cones were in front of them. Whitney reached up and took hers without hesitation while Turner grabbed both his and Cassie’s. Cassie just stood and stared at the person behind the counter. He looked like a normal teen boy. He had scraggly brown hair, which needed to be cut, and a pierced eyebrow that made you look at his sky blue eyes. But what he didn’t have was long pointed fangs, nor did he just use magic. She would have sensed it. Nope. The clank of the ice cream scooper as it sloshed around in the water behind the counter was enough to know that he scooped them, just faster than Cassie could see.

  Turner led the way back outside to a table that was alone on one side of the doorway. He pulled out a chair for Whitney, who gave him a blond hair toss before sitting down and batting her eyes at him. Cassie didn’t wait for him as she pulled out her own chair and sat down next to her friend.

  At that, Turner chuckled. He seemed to find Cassie amusing, and she found Turner about as serious as the last time she met him. They had been hunting for a rogue witch in the sidhe village, and he was smiling the whole time. Even when he was fake-pouting at something or another that Devin had said, he was still smiling.

  “I get the feeling your welcome to the night human world didn’t go as well as your aunt hoped it would?” Turner raised an eyebrow. He had met her aunt last summer, too.

  “Welcome? I wouldn’t call it that,” Cassie replied.

  Nothing thus far had even come close to welcoming. She still had too much to learn, and the coven planned to strip her of her powers in just days. Even if Nate told her he was going to save her from that, what could one night human do against the coven? They held the power.

  “Let’s see. She got a mate, not of her choosing, almost was killed by a wendigo, was locked in her house for a day, met family she wasn’t supposed to meet, and found out that her options pretty much suck. Yeah, I’d say that didn’t go as anyone planned,” Wh
itney stated, giving the CliffsNotes version of Cassie’s new life.

  “Oh, and you forgot the latest house arrest I’m doing right now,” Cassie added. “Of which I’m in your debt for finding me and breaking me out before I ended up stabbing one of those annoying friends of Nate who wouldn’t let me even pee in peace and quiet. Nic actually followed me to the bathroom yesterday and told me that he had to watch guard over me. As I peed.”

  Turner’s grin went from a smile to laughter at Cassie’s comment. She couldn’t help but chuckle with him; his laughter was just too contagious.

  “Let me get this straight; you’ve been put under house arrest twice now?” Turner asked.

  “In one week,” Whitney added with a grin. She was laughing alongside them.

  Turner let out another laugh. “Devin isn’t going to believe me when I tell him this.” Turner wiped his eyes from laughing too hard. “If I hadn’t met you before, I would swear you had to be my little sister from some alternative universe. Twice in one week. You make me very proud.”

  “Then the rumors about you are true?” Whitney asked, her eyes sparkling as she thought.

  “Rumors?” Cassie asked, looking between them.

  “Let’s just say he isn’t the heir to his clan, and there are more reasons than just that he’s the second son,” Whitney replied cryptically. “And that his father claims every white hair on his head came from Turner.”

  Again Turner gave a boisterous laugh, causing passersby to look in their direction. When they noticed it was Turner, they nodded and kept walking.

  “Some might say that I’m a bit rebellious. Ahh, I’d say I just like to do things my way. Why worry what other people think or want? It’s my life to live,” Turner explained. “Now, my father doesn’t exactly view life the same way, and neither does my older brother, but oh well. They’re the ones bogged down by duty. Not me.”

  Cassie could only wish she could be that brave. Her whole life was filled with people running it for her. Her uncle decided what she could do, when she could go places, and to some extent even what she could wear or what he was willing to buy her. This road trip was the first time in her life someone else wasn’t telling her what to do. Well, Whitney had been telling her what to do a bit, but that didn’t count. That was just Whitney.

  “I’m guessing from the little you’ve told me that I should inform my father you’re not up to a formal welcome and would like this trip to be incognito,” Turner suggested.

  “Formal welcome?” Cassie squeaked out.

  Turner grinned at her response.

  “Yep, no welcome. And if you could keep this from the clan for the most part, that would be great. As soon as they can they’ll be coming for us anyway,” Whitney replied. “We’d like to have as much fun as we can now, because who knows how long before they’ll let Cassie out of their sight again. In fact, Than might just chain himself to her to keep her in one place after this trip.”

  “You’re teasing, right?” Cassie asked quickly.

  “About not getting freedom ever again in your life? No, not in the least. I was excited we got it to work as well as we did to get away. Than won’t let that happen again,” Whitney replied. “He’s probably freaking out right now.”

  Cassie stared at her friend. Whitney didn’t seem to care in the least, but Cassie knew better. Nate wasn’t the freaking out kind. He was more the plot and get revenge kind. And that didn’t bode well for Cassie, or Whitney for that matter. Yes, incognito would be the best.

  “Well, in that case, let me be your personal guide to the city. If there’s anything you want to see or do, I can make it happen. And we don’t need anything formal. That should keep them away for a few days at least,” Turner explained with a smile as he stood. He offered Whitney a hand to help her stand. “Now, ladies, what would you like to see first? The bookstore?” He winked at Cassie. “Maybe Leeds Street shopping?” he suggested to Whitney. “Or we could even go to the fortuneteller’s house if you have any questions.” Turner grinned at the girls. He was going to be a good host for the weekend.

  As the sunlight peeked through the curtain Cassie rolled over and covered her head. She was nowhere near being used to the night human world. First off, the skinwalkers seemed to run fine on much less sleep. Cassie did not. She needed her full eight hours, or more, and hadn’t had a night since being thrown into the weird night human world to get that. And it kind of turned out that night humans lived up to their name. Everything, well almost everything, was running way past nighttime in Cassie’s book; she didn’t want to be the reason they headed back to the hotel early. In fact, it seemed like the later they were outside, the more people came out. Night humans really were into nightlife, and that didn’t mix well with her need for sleep.

  She gave up. The pillow didn't even block the annoying sunlight. Squinting at the curtain, Cassie stood and pulled it back, letting the light pour into her room instantly like ripping off a bandage. She squinted a bit and then her eyes adjusted. Turning to the majestic-looking clock hanging on the wall across the room, she saw that it was only two in the afternoon. It was way too early to be awake after turning in at six-thirty in the morning. She got her eight hours, but kind of was looking forward to more like ten or twelve.

  The knock at the front door to the sitting room was quiet, but Cassie heard it. She pulled on the robe behind the bedroom door and cracked open the door to look out into the room. Turner was answering the door, and Whitney was sitting at the table, already fully dressed for the day with her hair and makeup perfectly made. Cassie had to wonder if she used her super night human speed to do that.

  Cassie had closed the door before Turner was finished allowing the hotel employee bringing food into the front room.

  Ignoring her growling stomach, she went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day. After hopping under the hot water, Cassie remembered that she still didn’t have anything new to wear and would have to put back on the grubby clothes she had worn for two days now. Not exactly the best, but what else could she do? Whitney had been having way too much fun with Turner last night to mention that they would need clothes to make it through their trip.

  The steaming hot water only made Cassie want to go back to bed. She considered turning it down and shocking herself awake with cold, but that would only lead to a bad mood. What she needed was coffee. Her uncle frowned upon her drinking coffee, but her aunt had her hooked by the time she was thirteen. It did wonders for keeping her awake on late study nights.

  After spending way too much time in the shower, Cassie finally relented to getting out and facing the second day of nothing but major confusion. Whitney and Turner seemed to be having a fun time, but Cassie was just as lost as ever. She had hoped they would drop her off at the local library and let her sit among books—books which could have answers—but they insisted she came with them. The only consolation was Turner was actually pretty good about pointing out all the different night humans. She didn’t know what each were, but now she at least had a start as to where to look and how to tell them apart, even when they were just in day human form.

  Cassie came out of the shower and stopped at the bed which had been made up for her. There on it was a stack of clean clothes. She was going to have to wear the same clothes from the day before, but they were clean enough that she could smell the detergent from where she stood looking at them.

  Quickly she slipped into her jeans and olive green T-shirt to hurry out to the food she smelled earlier. Her spirits lifted surprisingly from just clean clothes.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” Whitney said as Cassie entered the sitting room.

  The couch where Turner had crashed for the night wasn’t made up like Cassie’s bed. He had insisted that he stay and not leave them alone. He claimed his city was safe, but he said that if anything happened to Cassie, it would be war amongst the night humans. Cassie still couldn’t believe that. She was just a normal girl. Who in the world would go to war over her? Nate, most likely,
and that kind of made sense. He was always very passionate about everything.

  Cassie smiled at Whitney. In her overly organized way, Whitney must have been the one who had her clothes cleaned, and her bed made for her, but it seemed she didn’t do the same for Turner.

  “Whitney wanted to go back to the fortune-teller now that it’s daytime,” Turner explained, motioning for Cassie to get some food from the cart by the door. It was obvious that the cart had been piled high with food which was now more than half gone. Turner had several empty plates in front of him.

  “And shopping afterward,” Whitney added.

  “Yes. And shopping afterward,” Turned agreed. He seemed up to do anything they asked. Cassie wondered how he could be such a good guy. To her, he appeared to have just shown up when his friend Devin needed help, and now he was willing to spend his day shopping with her and Whitney just because it was what they wanted.

  Cassie took one of the plates and opened the lid. Inside was a stack of steaming pancakes and bacon. She didn’t normally have breakfast at two in the afternoon, but she was more than willing to go with the flow after smelling the bacon.

  “You really want to go there?” Cassie asked as she sat down with her food. The only memories of seers from her childhood were all frauds. They really couldn’t see the future.

  Turner stood and walked back over to the cart to grab another plate. He seemed to eat enough for three people. Cassie had no clue how he could look so good after eating that much.

  “OJ?” Turner asked Cassie, picking up one of the drinks on the bottom side of the shelf she didn’t even notice.

  “Any coffee?” Cassie asked, ready for a shot of caffeine.

  “Yeah,” Turner replied, picking up the coffee carafe and pouring Cassie a hot cup. “Sugar or milk?”

  “Just black, and hopefully strong enough to wake me up to keep up with you two,” Cassie replied. Turner handed her the warm cup, and she turned back to her friend who hadn’t answered yet.

  “Well, we were kind of talking while you slept,” Whitney began, not looking at Cassie.