Enchanting Wilder (7 page)

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say forcefully, my combat boots bumping into his as I step closer to him.

Declan’s nostrils flare. “You do. Don’t do that. You’re something. I just can’t figure it out.”

I scoff. How can he know what I am?

My head jerks in erratic spasms and I pull at my hair. “I’m nothing.” He’s making me crazy. I bend down to pick up my bags, ready to get the hell out of here. “And thanks for breaking my gallon of milk.” I lift the soggy bag. “Asshole.”

I turn my heel to stalk away when he grabs my hand. “Stop.” He lets out a lungful of air. “Stop it.” He frees me and steps back. “I have to know.”

“There’s nothing to know,” I assure compellingly. Number one rule of being a Strix is never, under any circumstances, tell your Grander who you are. Once you do that, the entire system breaks down.

I turn away, but he pulls me back harder this time. “I saw you.” His pupils dilate. “I saw you in my dream.”

This time, I drop the bag full of broken remnants of my milk bottle onto the ground, covering both of our feet in the thick liquid as it seeps out. Neither of us look down. Spilled milk is the least of our concern at the moment.

Unnerved, I shake my head. My hands begin to tremble and my heart rate accelerates to an unhealthy speed.

I know he sees it. My uncertainty. He can sense it in my demeanor. He knows he’s caught me. There’s no way to lie my way out of this.

But how? There’s absolutely no way. None. If he saw me, then something went wrong. There are very few people who can see me in my true from in dreams, and most of them are supernatural beings. Witches, werewolves, vampires, shifters,
those things
can see me. There’s a reason why Strix don’t go into their dreams. It’s unsafe for us to be outed. When paranormal creatures know of our identity, it gets dangerous. They’re able to seek us out. Make us extinct.

But the question is why could
Declan
see me?

“What are
you
?” It’s me who asks this time.

Declan steps back, surprised I turned the question on him. “What am I? I’m nothing.” He looks at me like I’m the crazy one, the vein in his forehead throbbing.

I stand my ground and step closer to him, feeling more courageous. “You’re not. If you saw me, that means you’re something.”
I just don’t know what.

“So you are something…” He watches me for long moments, studying my expression, my eyes, my mouth and my neck. Everything—everything he can see, at least. His leg bounces and I can tell the gears in his mind are turning. “Oh for shit’s sake.” He throws his hands out and slaps them on the side of his legs. “I’m a Pursuer, all right?” He says it like he’s angry with me for wearing him down.

But my intake of breath gives him a clear sign I know exactly what that is.
Normal people wouldn’t know.
Mortals would scoff at the word.
Pursuer, that sounds made up.

They’re the Superhero’s of my world—the supernatural world. I’ve always wanted to meet one. Even as a child when my parents would tell stories about Pursuers, we never fully believed. Hell, they didn’t believe. It was stories to help us feel protected. Stories to remind us of the good in the world.

Clearly on the brink of insanity, his eyes manic, he continues, “Now, tell me what the hell you are.”

Dammit, I’d hoped he’d forget to ask me.

I study him for a minute feeling relieved. He’s a Pursuer.
A real-life monster fighter.
They’re mortals, sure. Trained to be like warriors, but they’re the buffer between peace and hysteria. They protect the balance.

That’s why he could see me. He’s part of the supernatural world.

At least one good thing came out of this cluster of insanity—I know I can trust him. If he’s a Pursuer, he’s on the right side of the fight.

Declan’s chest heaves as he shoves his shaky hands into the pocket of his jeans.

“Declan,” I say, raising my hands in surrender, letting him know I’m not going to go another round with him. His eyes expand when I say his name. Like I’ve been let in on a secret he wasn’t ready to tell. “I’m a Strix.”

“Motherf…” Declan curses, looking down at the concrete. “You aren’t supposed to be real.”

My eyes narrow and I cross my arms. “Right back at you.”

A shadow of a smile creeps on the corners of his lips but he returns to his narrow eyes and stoic expression. “Touché.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting my own smile, my posture softening a little.

He chews on the inside of his lip while scratching the back of his head. The gold, engraved ring on his left hand shimmers in the sunlight, the gleam catching my eye. A strange sensation bubbles inside my belly and I fight the pressing urge to ask him where he got it.

Feeling lightheaded, I step back and let my shoulders fall against the cool brick wall. “You could see me,” I say, stunned as perspiration begins to form on my forehead. “You could see me and Sally sent me to you.” I’m talking out loud, trying to rationalize, and Declan has no idea what I’m talking about. Holy crap, why did Sally give me his name? Did she not know what he was? “How did this happen?”

I glance back up, and Declan’s puzzled expression mimics my own. Panic rises in my throat, suffocating me.

This isn’t right…
My feet instinctually move away from him, toward my car.

“I—uhh—I have to go.” Sliding my eyes to the side, I tug away from his grasp. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m turning, my boots hitting heavy on the black asphalt with loud thumps as I run away. When I’m finally in my car—minus all of my damn groceries—I allow myself to look back at Declan. He’s still standing in the alleyway, all alone with his head in his hands. He looks toward my car and kicks the wall—our wall—and screams loud enough for me—and anyone else in the vicinity to hear.

My tires squeal to a stop in front of my house. I don’t bother parking in the garage. Candy’s car is nowhere to be found so I rush through our red front door and bound up the stairs. Tossing my keys on the dining room table, I make my way to the kitchen. Quickly filling a glass with water, I down it in a few gulps.

Closing my eyes, I sit down on the ground as I center myself and attempt to call Sally. “Come to me, for I need your hand. Sally, it is you who I can depend.” I repeat it over and over. Four or five times out loud.

Squinting one eye open, she’s nowhere to be found. My mouth pulls to the side and I huff. She’s always around. There’s been very few times when she hasn’t come after I call. I shake my head and dust my butt off when I stand, giving up.

Walking to the kitchen, I pass a picture of mom and dad and kiss the air as I walk by. There are a few times since they’ve passed I thought they were nearby, trying to give me some sort of sign, but I keep talking myself out of it. We were taught when a Strix dies, they stay that way. Because of the work we do, and the side of good we stay on, our souls are gained automatic access into the Heaven. That’s the place we all know about but don’t
really
know if it truly exists. We know it’s there, but we have no concrete evidence as to what it really is. It could be the same as mortals’ Heaven for all we know, but the only thing we care about is that it’s not Hell.

Opening the stainless steel fridge, I let the cool air cascade over me as I stare at its contents. I don’t know why I continue to gaze at the mostly empty space for so long. I never cook, which means there’s hardly ever any food in the house. Especially now because Declan ambushed me and I forgot to pick up my bags of groceries. I groan.
Dammit, I really tried to be an adult today and it just didn’t work out.
We’ve got wine, some cheese, a loaf of bread and an expired looking jar of peanut butter.

Nothing looks appetizing, so I slam the door shut, feeling on edge. The window above the sink opens slightly on its own and I turn to see Sally standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She leans against the wall, looking angelic in a light green dress and nude colored flats.

“Jesus.” I grab at my shirt. “You scared the crap out of me.”

Sally pulls at her long blonde hair and walks to me with a smile on her face. “Nope. Not Jesus. Just me.” She laughs and I give her a level stare. “Sorry, McKenna. I was in a meeting with The Leaders. They’re all up in arms about Declan.”

The mention of his name sends shivers over my body and I have to sit down at the table. “Declan? Why?” I try to appear nonchalant. I only told her about the first time I saw him.

Sally cocks her head and takes a seat across from me. “You know why. The moment you put yourself in that dream a second time without letting me know, The Leaders were put on high alert.”
Dammit. She already knew?
She shakes her head and squirms uncomfortably in her seat. “Declan saw you, McKenna. This is a huge deal.”

I clasp my hands together on top of the shiny, wooden table and stare at them as unease fills my belly. “Did you know he was different?”

“What?” she scoffs. “No. I had no clue.”

“And The Leaders? They didn’t know?”

“No. Though it does seem odd they didn’t. They don’t even know what he is. He can’t be mortal.”
You have no idea, Sally.

She contemplates for long moments.

The moisture in my mouth disappears, but I can’t make myself look up at her.

She shifts again in her chair, sensing my restlessness. “McKenna…” This time, she says my name as a warning. She knows I’m about to tell her something she doesn’t want to hear.
Of course she knows.
The woman is my Spirit Guide. I can’t hide anything from her. She’s the only other person besides Candy who truly knows everything about me.

She exhales as I continue to play my own personal silent game. I was really hoping we wouldn’t need to have this conversation. I didn’t even know she knew I went back into his dream. I didn’t tell her. I didn’t think I needed to. I figured it was best to do what I thought I had to do and leave everyone else out of it.

Obviously I was wrong.

It’s totally out of the norm for me to go against the strict rules. But the look on that demon’s face, combined with the worry I saw on Declan’s, I knew I had to do my best to warn him again.

“He knows,” I finally admit in a hushed whisper.

I don’t look up, but I can feel her penetrating blue eyes carving holes into my forehead.

I clear my throat and lift my eyes. “He knows what I am. I told him.”

“You…McKenna…” She rubs the skin between her eyes, taking in a deep, jagged breath. “You’ve seen him outside of his dream?”

Did I forget to mention that part?

I nod, foolishness washing over me. “We ran into each other today—at the store.”

“And because he recognized you from the dream, he knew who you were,” she says in disbelief. “And you told him?”

I nod again.

“You told him you are a Strix? An all-knowing-supernatural-witch?”

I slump farther in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. All-knowing-supernatural-witch seems kind of lackluster at the moment. “Kind of—yeah.”

Standing up, she begins to pace, biting on her nail. “And he believed you?”

I make an oh-shit face and she catches it right away.

“Don’t tell me there’s more.”

I stand. “Okay. I won’t.” For whatever ridiculous reason, I walk to the fridge again and open it. Grabbing the loaf of bread, I pass by Sally but she grabs my arm, twisting me around to look at her.

“What else happened, McKenna?” Her eyes are kind now. She knows I tend to shut down if I’m backed into a corner.

“He’s a Pursuer.”

She gasps and lets go of my arm, as if the word shocked her with electricity. “A Pursuer?”

I nod.

“No.” She shakes her head. “They’re barbaric creatures. I would have seen that before I sent him to you.”

I snort a laugh as I take a bite of my piece of wheat bread.
Barbaric creatures.
She would think they’re barbaric. Unless sketchy situations can be talked out with kind words and loving gestures, Sally has nothing to do with it. She can’t help it; she’s got such a kind heart. Anything to do with killing—even deplorable monsters—she doesn’t want to give it a second thought. Her peace-needing heart can’t handle the thought of violence.