Page 5 of Enchanted Hero (The Secret Enchanters #1)

Agent Andrews grimaced, yet nodded. He stepped toward the officer, but stopped, said in a low, dark voice. “We’re not finished, Mr. Stone. We’ll be seeing you.”

No doubt with more questions he couldn’t answer. Grainy cell phone footage made good social media fodder, but a firsthand account from thousands of people was something else entirely. If he wasn’t careful, someone might find out who he was.

What he was.

“That didn’t happen. Nope. There wasn’t a man in the center of a tornado.

Nope, nope, nope,” Everleigh spoke to no one as she opened the door to her small two-two, then again as she padded into the living room, dripping water all over the cream carpeting, barely missing the ivory sofa.

She repeated the denials as she switched on the lights, then again as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She shuddered. Her long dirty blond hair hung in tangled strings down her back, her black slinky dress resembled a witch’s rag and twigs stuck to every part of her body.

She needed a shower – or a hosing – but first she had to somehow explain the impossible night, starting from the moment she confronted the powerful Alexander Stone and ending with a man commanding the tornado.

There was only one reasonable explanation:

She’d lost her mind.

Yet on the slight chance she was still in control of her faculties, what had happened?

Had fear and stress altered her perception of reality?

She might believe in the supernatural, but she didn’t see a rabbit in every hat.

It was more a belief in the extraordinary than a blatant acceptance of magical beings.

Yet how else could she describe him?

Perhaps she’d hallucinated, which would’ve been entirely reasonable given the circumstances.

Maybe a man had gotten caught in the tornado, and it only appeared he was standing.

Perhaps she should’ve told the emergency workers what she’d seen.

She’d wanted to remain anonymous, but not at the expense of someone’s life.

She reached for her phone, only it rang before she could dial.

She relaxed as a picture flashed of Sam Rosen, her colleague, friend and the only person who knew tonight’s mission.

She spoke as soon as it clicked on, “Sam, you won’t believe what happened. I’ll tell you all about it, but first I have to call the poli–”

“Did you see him?” Sam’s normally calm voice rose in pitch, the words so swift they jumbled together.

She frowned. “Stone? Yes, and what an arrogant, overbearing and powerful… strike that last part. Anyways, he was–”

“Not him,” Sam interrupted. “The guy in the tornado.”

The phone nearly slipped from her hands. “You know about him?” Her voice emerged barely audible. “Other people saw him?”

“ Everyone saw him. It’s all over social media. I’ll text you the link.”

Everleigh stared at the phone, as video confirmed the memory of her one-person show.

It showed her huddling in front of a violent tornado, a thankfully unidentifiable silhouette.

Suddenly a man appeared, not spiraling out of control, not moving with the wind, but standing tall in the tornado’s center.

Huge, muscular and commanding, he moved his arms against the side of the tornado, almost as if pushing it…

and it responded! Then both man and tornado vanished.

Oh. My. Goodness.

“Can you believe it?” Sam was giddy. “A magical being exists, and one lucky person witnessed it firsthand. Everyone is searching for her, and of course, him. Have you ever seen anything like it?”

“Actually I have,” she breathed. “The first time.”

“The first time?” he echoed. “You saw it through the window?”

She swallowed. “Sam, I’m going to tell you something, but you have to keep it a secret. Promise?”

A momentary pause, then a low, concerned voice. “All right.”

“I’m the woman in the video.”

Pure silence. A second, then another and another… “You can’t be.”

“I am.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

Sam stayed silent for another second, then whispered, “Who is he?”

Her muscles weakened as she sank into the cushioned stool. The water and dirt didn’t matter – she could no longer support her own weight. “I don’t know.”

For an eon, Sam said nothing. When he finally responded, his voice was as breathless as hers. “Do. You. Know. How. Wonderful. This. Is?”

She started. “What?”

“You’re the first person to come face-to-face with a magical being.” His voice rose in volume with every syllable. “You’re the luckiest woman in the world.”

What? She parted her lips, yet no rebuttal came.

As fear lessened, excitement emerged, and stark curiosity.

There was a reason her business centered on the mysteries of the universe.

She’d been so focused on the infuriating businessman, she’d completely ignored the ramifications of her rescue. It truly had been a miracle…

“You’re certain you don’t know his identity?”

“No.” Yet for the first time since her world had been undone, a slow smile lifted her lips. “But I’d love to find out.”

“You and the rest of the world.” Sam chuckled. “They’re calling him the world’s first supernatural hero. Everyone wants to know about him, with dozens of agencies investigating, from the police to government to scientists.”

Everleigh frowned. “They’re certainly taking this seriously. These types of videos come out every day.”

“Other videos don’t have the collaboration of hundreds of rich and powerful people. People don’t care about dancing crocodiles, yet when a video is backed by a mansion full of witnesses, including a senator, it gets attention. A lot of people want to talk to you.”

Everleigh shook her head hard enough to spray water droplets on the little remaining dry carpet. “You can’t tell anyone. Besides, I didn’t see anything that wasn’t in the video.”

She could almost hear Sam’s smile. “Your secret is safe with me. But I can’t promise not to ask again.”

With a grateful goodbye, she clicked off the phone. Somehow they hadn’t discussed Alexander Stone at all. It had literally taken a miracle to erase him from her mind, albeit only temporarily.

Two powerful men. One her enemy, the other her savior. Who was the most powerful? The question lingered as she showered and dressed, and then spent hours awake, too energized to sleep. When she finally slipped into bed in the early hours of the morning, it was merely a reprieve.

Without a doubt, at least one of the men was coming for her.

* * * *

Something was wrong.

It was obvious the moment she walked into the office, evidenced by the sheer magnitude of silence from the normally boisterous staff.

She worked hard to keep a happy culture, and Mondays were donut day.

Instead of cheery hellos and pleasant nods, guarded looks and pursed lips greeted her as she strode through the halls of New Age Treasures.

Something was very, very wrong.

“Hi everyone.” She forced a smile no one returned, nodding at the tense employees. “What’s going on?”

“Sorry I’m late!” One of the secretaries, Chloe Pendleton, raced in, her face tinged pink and her voice breathless. The self-proclaimed klutz was sporting a new bruise on her cheek. She pointed to it cheerfully. “Ran into a pole today. What’s going on? It feels like a funeral in here.”

The employees exchanged silent glances, as if daring each other to talk. Finally, Sam stepped forward. “It’s him.”

“Him who?” It couldn’t possibly be the mysterious man who’d conquered a tornado to save her. Since the weekend, he’d become a national obsession, on the cover of every magazine, the subject of every news story and the top trending topic on every website.

“Alexander Stone.”

“Stone?” She held up a hand when Sam tried to interject. “Don’t worry about Alexander Stone. He’s been chatting up the board, but I’m ready to fight. I’ve already confronted him.”

“Everleigh–”

“Alexander Stone may own half the businesses – and people – in America, but this company is about more than making money. I won’t let us become a tiny cog in a massive machine that doesn’t care about its employees or customers.

Stone might be powerful and rich and gorgeou–” She stopped, forged ahead, “But he can’t just steal our company.

He’s no Big Bad Wolf. If he were here, I’d tell him exactly how I feel.

” She nodded curtly, with every ounce of feminine power of her sisters before her.

Number of people who responded: zero.

She expected applause, nods of encouragement, at least a “That’s right!” or two, but all she got were gaping mouths, wide eyes and utter silence.

Until a booming voice spoke directly behind her.

“Are you certain I’m not the Big Bad Wolf?”

Everleigh gasped, pivoting around. For a sliver of time, a memory of a different man flashed, a man who was powerful enough to defy nature. An instant later she remembered where she was, whom she was facing. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Stone smiled, as gorgeous as she’d never admit. He filled out his black suit to perfection, his dark hair in neat waves, his sapphire eyes sparkling, as he towered over her. “I’m here to fulfill your wish, Miss Lacey.”

“My wish?” she breathed, as sudden need infiltrated her senses, urging her to delve closer to the muscular man. She blinked hard, forced it away.

“Yes.” He edged nearer. “You wanted to tell me exactly how you feel. Now is your chance.”

Heat washed through her, fueled by fury, energized by something far deeper. This man was trying to steal her company, and she couldn’t stop thinking about chiseled features. “You already know what I think of you.”

“That’s right. You think I’m rich, powerful, and…” The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Gorgeous.”

As the crowd twittered, Everleigh tightened. “I meant arrogant.”

“Really? Because arrogant and gorgeous don’t sound anything alike.”

Why, that arrogant, smartass, gorgeo– “In any case, you’re trespassing. If you would kindly leave, I’d appreciate it.”