16
Daniel
The ringing phone cut through the harsh silence of the cabin. I hadn’t been home long. I hadn’t even turned on the TV, which I tended to keep on for a bit of noise in the background. I didn’t mind being alone, I was used to it, but sometimes the silence was too much, at least inside the cabin. Outside it wasn’t so bad, the birds were singing, critters were foraging, and all that. Inside was just too still and quiet for my liking, hence the TV.
I pressed the speaker button as I passed by my phone on the coffee table, tossing a couple of logs into the wood burning stove that sat in the corner. I didn’t use it as a stove anymore, but it kept the place nice and toasty. “Yeah?” I swung the cast iron door shut and locked it, opening the vent at the top a little more, so the heat got out, but the smoke went up the chimney.
“Daniel?”
“Hey, Samuel, how’s it going?” I grabbed my phone and carried it across the small area of the cabin. The area between the kitchen and the living space was where I had my dining table, which was generally where guests like Samuel sat when they dropped by for coffee. Not many people liked to sit in front of the TV, I wasn’t sure why, maybe they felt awkward seeing their reflection in the empty black screen, or maybe it was because there was only the two-seater and an armchair. I passed by the wood table and moved into the kitchen, setting the phone on the counter so I could keep chopping vegetables to make a stew. It wasn’t fancy, but it was tasty and filling which were both important things. Plus, it was a good way to get my vegetables in and not just wind up being a meat and potatoes kind of guy.
“You’re still hanging around with Emma Pierce, aren’t you?” Samuel asked. His question was innocuous but there was something in his tone that suggested he thought that there was something more going on between us than there currently was.
I grabbed another carrot and nodded as I replied, the thought of Emma bringing a smile to my face. “Yes, why?” I topped and tailed it, giving it a quick scrub before I began chopping. My mom always told me that most of the nutrients were in the peel, that may have been an old wives’ tale, or may have just been that she didn’t want to waste time peeling vegetables, but I stuck to it, just in case.
“Detective Morris, from Springfield police department has been assigned the case involving the disappearance of Emma’s ex-husband,” he paused, and I could tell he was looking at his notes, even if I hadn’t heard the rustle of the notepad pages turning. “Like we discussed before, it isn’t that Ms. Pierce is a suspect, but the longer they’re gone, the more suspicious it looks. Since you started spending time with her, has she discussed anything about her ex with you?
“She hasn’t mentioned anything.” Not that we’d really spent a lot of time discussing her ex-husband. “And I can’t see her having anything to do with it.”
“Okay, I guess that’s good. The detective did say they’re prone to up and take trips out of the blue, but it’s been a while and his office is getting concerned, so they’re looking into it.” Samuel sighed and paused for a beat before he added, “I’m sure they’ll turn up. These rich folks always forget that someone is relying on them for things. Apparently, they need him to sign some paperwork or something, and they’re running out of time. I don’t know, it’s all paper pusher stuff that I try and avoid.”
“I’m sure they’ll turn up, as you said. Probably just gone off for a getaway or something.”
Samuel made a noise that could have been agreement, could have been annoyance, could have been pretty much anything since it was just a grunt. He was the type of man that would lay it all out there if he had a question that needed answering though, not the type to beat around the bush.
“Some neighbors also mention that the divorce didn’t seem to be amicable. That they heard some arguing and that the husband was not going to make it an easy process. There’s also a strong suggestion that his current relationship had been started during the marriage...”
“Well, people talk,” I told him, trying to choose my words carefully.
He sighed. “Okay, then, I guess if she mentions anything, give me a call. Even if it’s just a place the two might have gone. I think the detective was a little annoyed having to waste his time on something like this, and we both know how those kinds of cases are.”
“Yeah.” I did. Most missing people were missing because they didn’t want to be found for a little while. Not all of them. But every cop preferred a case where a missing person was just inconsiderate, or too dumb, to make sure the people around them knew where they were, rather than something awful happening to a person.
“Well, goodbye, back to keep an eye on the streets.”
I smiled. “Goodbye.”
After we hung up and I was through making my stew, all I could think about was Emma. She was mercurial but in a good way. I never knew what to expect from her, and ever since she’d come back to town things had been interesting to say the least. When she’d made the water at the falls flow again, I thought I was going to faint, and the way she cared about Henry, she was clearly a dedicated woman. If Rick had done something to hurt her before they split, then I’d have a hard time not going after him myself. The fact that he’d let a woman like Emma slip through his fingers told me everything I needed to know about him. And the fact that he had a new girlfriend when I wasn’t even sure the divorce was final?
I knew exactly what kind of man he was. Wasteful, power hungry, unscrupulous, with a cold heart. After all, Emma was the mother of his child, and from my understanding they only had the one.
Part of me couldn’t help but wonder what Emma’s kid was like, even though he wasn’t really a kid anymore, since he had to be away at college at the least if Emma was here alone. Had she raised the boy more in her image or did he take after his dad. Did he call her? Did she miss him?
That last one was a dumb question, of course she missed her only child. Somehow, I don’t think I would assume the same about her ex though. Letting your wife, who seemed to be amazing to me, go, no, not just letting her go, but walking away from her? It was the move of someone who didn’t care about much of anything other than themselves.
Of course, there were instances where people fell out of love with one another, where divorce was what was best for both of them, but the way Emma talked about Rick? I didn’t get the impression that she had fallen out of love with him, not until he’d yanked her heart from her chest and stomped on it.
Why did I want to be the one to repair it? My own heart was still damaged after everything that happened with Sarah. How could I repair something that was broken for someone else when I couldn’t even fix it for myself?
Maybe we didn’t need to be fixed though. Maybe we were fine as we were and our broken pieces could fit together, bring us closer. I pushed the thought away.
Sarah had been gone a long time and I had dated since, but there was something about Emma that was different. Something about her, and the way I felt about her, scared me when it came to taking the next step, and I wasn’t a man that was easily scared.
After dinner, enough was enough. I wanted to call her; the goofy, silly woman who never failed to make me smile. God when she came running down the stairs with that underwear on her head the last time I was over, I thought I was going to lose it. She’d clearly fussed with her hair as well to get it to stand up like that. Her face when she saw me was a picture, and the blush that rose on her cheeks from being caught was more than a little enticing. There was no way she could’ve done something to hurt her ex. The woman I knew just wasn’t capable of it.
As I considered calling to ask Emma out on a date, something made my sixth sense tingle. My bear senses were heightened and going off like crazy. Something was happening outside.
With a growl, I flung open my front door. I was one of the biggest, baddest shifters on the Eastern Seaboard. It wasn’t likely to be something that could take me out. It was something that needed to learn some damn manners, and to stay off my property. A
lesson it was going to learn very quickly if it wanted to stay alive.
As I stepped off my front porch, my instincts going wild, I had to prepare to shift. There was something out here that needed taking care of. I wasn’t about to let anyone roam my land unchecked.
17
Emma
When I got back from dancing naked in the woods, I found a very exhausted-looking Henry and Alice. Henry was wearing his favorite pajamas, with video game characters on them. And Alice was wearing a zip-up onesie with anime characters smiling from the pink fabric. They were both taking their vitamins in the kitchen and seemed to be ready for bed.
Henry nodded at me when I came in. “Long night?”
I sighed. “Yeah. Kind of. What about you guys?”
“We finally managed to take the castle and win the Sword of Justice.” He looked over at Alice with a smile. “I gave it to her, of course. It was her plan, after all, that allowed us to win over the reapers.”
Alice’s dark eyes gave Henry a gentle look, then she glanced at me, a slight frown pulling at the edges of her lips. “I don’t think Emma’s in the mood to talk about a video game right now. She’s had a rough night. Her nerves are fried, and she’s scared.”
I stiffened, surprised. “How do you know that?”
Henry looked at Alice. “I told you, Emma is supernatural now. We can trust her if you want to. It’s your choice.”
Alice ran a hand through her auburn locks, avoiding my gaze and chewing her bottom lip. It was the first time I’d seen her hair out of the tight bun she liked to wear it in, and I was a little surprised by the fact that she looked a little older and strikingly beautiful. “I’m an empath,” she finally managed.
“An empath?” I thought I’d heard something about that before.
She nodded. “I can sense what other people are feeling.”
“Wow, that’s an amazing gift,” I said, without thinking.
Alice winced. “It can be, but it’s mostly a curse. It gets exhausting to constantly feel what other people are feeling. I used to try to stay home and away from my parents as much as I could. But when I met Henry… everything changed. His emotions are so controlled. If he’s upset, he doesn’t brew and brew over it. He tells me, and then his emotions decrease and fade. Being around him is almost as good as being alone. Better, if you add how nice it is to be with him,” she said with a smile.
Henry returned her smile. “And Alice never gets mad that I don’t show my emotions more. She likes me exactly how I am.”
I felt tears burn my eyes. “I’m so happy for both of you.”
Alice reached out and gently squeezed my arm. “I heard that maybe something might be going on between Daniel and you. I think he would be a good choice for you. His emotions are well controlled, for a shifter. He’s kind and understanding. I know most of the people in this town better than they know themselves, and Daniel is one of the good ones. He was broken for a long time after his wife died, but I think he’s ready for love now.”
I felt a blush warm my cheeks. Did everyone know about Daniel and me?
“It’s time for bed,” Henry said.
I wished them a good night, then went to take a shower, washing away the night the best way I could. When I was done, the water had long ago become cold. I dressed but still didn’t feel tired. So, I quietly went to the kitchen, made myself some tea, and sat on the couch, playing a dumb game where I crush cookies or candies. Something like that. By the time I was out of lives, it was ridiculously late.
Tiptoeing through the house, I checked the locks on the doors. Henry was sound asleep, judging from the snores coming from his room. The guy was practically a cartoon when it came to the sounds he made while he was asleep. Deep snorts followed by high-pitched whines were the most common sounds. It half made me wonder if he should see a sleep specialist or something. And because I heard nothing from their room, I assumed Alice was asleep as well.
Good, they deserved to be able to relax and rest.
I moved away from Henry’s room and went to check the sliding door at the back of the house. It was the one he usually forgot to lock. Walking around the house in the middle of the night after coming back from dancing naked in the woods felt odd. Part of me wanted to dance the night away, to watch the magic that was swirling out from the witches and myself for forever, but then I’d remember what Hildy had said about Beth never being free and my heart turned into a block of ice in my chest.
The lock on the sliding door was down and the length of wood that sat on the runner to prevent it from being opened if someone were able to pick the lock, or something, was there as well. A thought occurred to me that the house wasn’t protected from any kind of magical attacks. There were magical attacks, right? I’d have to talk to the ladies about that. Surely there were protective charms or whatever that we could put on the house itself? Then I realized that I was thinking about someone attacking me and my brother, in our home, with magic. What was this crazy world I’d fallen into?
I mean, really. Who lived this way?
I had to admit it was freeing though, knowing what was out there and what I was and could do. It made me feel powerful. I did a little twirl just like I’d done when I’d been dancing under the moonlight a few hours ago and it was like my body remembered the magic. I was light and almost carefree, even after getting such grave news. I turned off the kitchen light and headed toward the stairs once more, my mind finally at ease now that I knew we were locked in and safe.
A knock on my door made my blood run cold. Who would be here this late?
Peering carefully out of the peephole, I sighed in relief when I caught Daniel’s profile in the moonlight. But he held his arm funny. And definitely not funny as in haha. There was no Ministry of Strange Arm Holding as far as I knew, just Silly Walks. As fast as I could, I unlocked the door.
As soon as I had it open wide enough, I shot my hand out and grabbed the arm that he wasn’t holding strangely and pulled him inside. “What’s wrong?” I hissed, not wanting to wake Henry and Alice and deal with that conversation.
Daniel grunted as I touched him. “Careful.”
“Come sit.” I closed the door behind us and made sure it was locked and the chain was on. No one was getting in this house without us knowing about it. Using his good elbow to guide him I walked us over to the couch. Daniel wasn’t moving as fast as usual, and I had to wonder if something was wrong with one of his legs as well as his arm. Finally, he kind of fell onto the couch instead of sitting down. I sat down next to him and started to look him over, trying to figure out what I’d need from the medicine cabinet.
“I’m okay,” he said. “Don’t fuss. I’ll be healed in another hour, but I had to come make sure you were okay.”
“Was this one of the wolves?” I asked, my anger rising. “Did they attack you?”
He shook his head and grimaced as I gently prodded his shoulder. “No, this thing wasn’t any shifter I’ve ever seen. For one, it didn’t attack the way a shifter would with claws and teeth. It was more of a blunt force. And it was dark and moved so fast, I couldn’t really tell what the hell it was.”
“Did you call the sheriff?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what the sheriff could do, but it seemed like he should at least be aware that there was a vicious shifter roaming around, one that was willing to take on a guy as big as a full-grown male bear.
Daniel laid his head against the couch and sighed, his breathing slightly labored, which worried me. “Yeah. Listen, Emma, I don’t want to scare you, and I can’t fully explain how I know this, but I’m pretty sure it’s not really a shifter, it’s something similar but there’s just something off about it.”
“Like you sensed it?” I asked. “Some sort of preternatural thing?”
He shrugged and winced. “I don’t know. But it, or he, or whatever, got away from me.”
Daniel looked so sad I shifted closer to him on the couch, and he turned to look at me, suddenly bringing us closer than we’d ever been �
��Hey,” I whispered. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re not hurt. And as you can see, I’m fine.”
His sage green eyes softened as he leaned forward. I couldn’t help but focus on his lips, my heart pounding with anticipation of how they’d feel pressed against mine. He had full lips. When we’d been in high school together, I’d had many, many dreams about them and what kissing him would be like. My breath hitched as he got closer, and my heart practically skipped in my chest. I wasn’t sure whether it was from nervousness or excitement.
My breath caught in my throat as my phone squawked from my pocket, playing an obnoxious country song that Deva had set for her ringtone as a joke. Lurching out of my seat, I ignored Daniel’s soft curse and yanked my phone out of my pocket. “Deva? What’s going on?” She wouldn’t call this late unless something was wrong. I couldn’t help it, I started to pace as I waited for my mind to absorb what she was saying.
“The police were attacked. Beth was cornered and the… thing told her if she can’t undo the spell by tomorrow night, it’ll kill her. The thing left, but Beth is a mess, and we don’t know what to do.” She sounded really shaken. There was a waiver to her voice that I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard before, which was saying something. My heart felt like it was being broken into a thousand pieces as my mind filled with images of what might have happened to Beth. If Daniel was this bad, then what chance did my friend stand?
“We’re coming!” I cried. “Daniel is with me.”
Daniel was already on his feet, his eyes that had been so soft a moment ago were hard as ice. “What?”
“Apparently the creature that attacked you attacked the police that were keeping an eye on Beth and cornered her. We have to undo the curse.” My hand covered my mouth once the words had left my mouth, like I couldn’t believe what I’d just said.
“Let’s go.” Daniel grabbed his keys from the table by my door where he’d laid them when he walked in. He held open the front door then closed it behind him. My hands shook as I tried to get my key in the lock, unwilling to leave Henry vulnerable. After they had scraped against the deadbolt a couple of times Daniel gently took them from me and locked up.
Karma's Shift (Magical Midlife in Mystic Hollow Book 2) Page 10