Page 12 of Heart Shaped Wreckage (standalone)

LANDON

My teeth were banging so hard together, I was afraid they’d fall out.

I thought the desert would be hot. I mean, it’s a desert, right?

But no… When the sun goes down, it gets fucking cold.

Maybe I knew this when I actually knew things, but over the last twenty-four hours, even though I still had no clue about who or what I was, I remembered the things that came with common sense.

Apparently, I knew nothing about the desert. I was not from Arizona.

Did I own a house? Was I homeless? Did I do something so bad to someone that they cursed me? Was it a curse, or did I just have mental issues? At this point, I felt like I had mental issues. I mean, talking cats and angels descending from the sky. I should be locked up.

Too many questions and no answers.

But I remembered the prophecy. That was a weird thing to remember word for word.

‘Wings that beat no more – awakes the beast within.’ I had no idea what the hell that meant.

‘A foolish witch who seeks himself – tears will be the key.’ I had to be the foolish witch.

I mean, fire came from my finger, and I smelled like magic to Heath, so…

Maybe I just needed a good cry, and this could all be solved?

‘Legion leader, once a friend – now a foe but closely kin – seeking stones – swirling pool – blood makes everyone a fool. To find what you seek, the blood must leak. Forms shift to and fro; a hollow shaft will heal. But by the end, you must lose to ever hope to win. A last gasp and the choice is made – fate is done, and it’s too late. A choice to make for a lost mate.’

What the actual fuck did any of that mean? I guess angels were a part of the legion of God. I know I read a bible because I knew enough to know I did. But… the rest of it was just gross. Blood, a last gasp, a lost mate? I had no idea, but I did not like the sound of any of it.

There was that part about shifting form. Heath was a shifter, so maybe? Whatever… The prophecy was about both of us if I was right. But to be part of a prophecy from a very weird and terrifying witch was… I mean, damn!

Why was it so fucking cold!

I tried to rub my arms and fingers as fast as I could to cause some friction and blood flow. I had not been able to shoot fire from my finger on all of the kindling that Heath had gathered. That was humbling. I must be a very crappy witch.

If I could just remember how…

GOD! I hated being cold. Heath had decided to go out to see if he could find us anything to eat. Hopefully, he would find some flint so we could start the fucking fire and warm up. He said he’d try. I trusted him. I had no idea why, but I did.

He was also making my libido bounce around so hard that I was getting heathmatized. Jesus, he was really fucking hot. I was definitely gay. Check off one more thing that I know about myself.

I wish there were more.

I wish I knew how to start the fucking fire. This was stupid!

I slammed my hands down on the ground, and my finger flared. I quickly brought it over to the kindling, but before I could get it on the wood, it went out.

I sucked!

If I were a witch, I wished I could remember the things that would help me.

I mean, who thought about creating fire?

Witches… I guess. Part of me knew that not all witches could do that.

How did I know that, and why could I remember something like that but almost nothing else?

It was aggravating and annoying and… I was just pissed off!

It started in my feet. And soon my entire body was tingling. I took a deep breath, made a fist, and punched the air. Flames danced across my fingers, and I threw them down into the kindling, which erupted. I took my hand out and shook it.

Anger.

Was I an angry witch? Was that the base of my power? To be able to do anything, did I have to be pissed off? Did that work for all my emotions?

I hated questions. All I wanted were some stupid answers, but… Well, I was getting warmer. I scooted a little closer to the fire.

“You did it!” Heath laughed as he walked out of the shadows. Somehow, he was even more handsome in the light of the dancing flames.

“I got angry,” I muttered. “I tried forever and had given up, and then bam… angry flames.”

“Makes sense. Some witches are born with their powers, and others are taught. But the children usually have outbursts that can cause their powers to erupt without them meaning to. It’s caused major damage in magic towns before.

But I’m glad you were able to do it because I found no flint.

” He shrugged. His muscular shoulders made me quiver. I liked muscles. Had I always?

“Did you bring more wood?”

“A little. There wasn’t much. I was afraid I would have to keep you warm all night.” He laid what he had found close to the fire.

How could I put these flames out? Cuddled next to Heath sounded much better than being warm in the glow of a romantic fire.

His body heat would do the trick, and I’d enjoy it a whole lot more.

Even the thought of being wrapped in his incredibly yummy arms and pressed up against his massive, sexy chest was inspiring enough for me to stamp the fire out.

I didn’t. I mean, I’m not insane. But over the last day, I had developed a bit of a thing for Heath.

Who wouldn’t? He was super hot and maybe the kindest person I had ever met.

If he were a person… Maybe he wasn’t exactly a person, but did I care?

I didn’t think I needed to. He made me feel safe. He made me feel seen.

“I did find this?” He held up a rabbit which looked like it had been skinned.

“You caught that?” I was impressed.

“Well, yeah. Shifter, remember?”

“You can shift without the moon? Oh, wait!” I laughed. “I know that’s not right. What is that called?”

“An old wives’ tale? Most of the things that humans think – like werebeasts can only transform at the full moon, or vampires hate garlic are false. We created those ourselves and spread them. Humans love to gossip.”

“Legends!” I exclaimed, way too happy that I thought of it. “Legends are usually wrong about us. I know that.”

“I think you’re learning more about yourself all the time. You even talk a little differently since you woke up. It’s like parts of you are returning naturally. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll know exactly who you are.”

“Do you believe that?” I looked at him seriously.

“No. I think that whatever happened to you can’t be fixed until we deal with the prophecy. Do you remember it?”

“Yeah. It’s weird that I remember it so well. I only heard it once, and then bam, the angel of the lord descended with a flaming sword.”

“That’s because those whom the prophecy speaks about cannot forget it once they hear it. It becomes a part of us – a quest that can’t be ignored. Once a prophecy is spoken about you, it must be completed.”

“Do you… uh… remember it?”

“Of course.”

“So, it is about us. I figured. But there’s so much of it I don’t understand.”

“Yeah… I figured that would be the case. If… when you need to know something, I will explain it if I can. I know I said my secrets were my own, but… With the way things are and what we might have to go through, you probably need to know more.”

“Why did that stupid cat drop us here?” I looked around the barren landscape. It was really dark and ominous.

“I assume he put us exactly where we needed to be. He’s annoying and pretentious, but he’s also very smart.”

“So, when are you going to tell me what I need to know?”

“Let’s eat. It was meager pickings out here, and this barely has any meat on it, but we have what we have.” He changed the subject.

“That didn’t really answer my question.”

“Tomorrow? I think I need to think about what we heard and try to start making sense out of it for myself. Is that ok?”

“Do you have magic?”

“Besides, shifting? Not like you. But whatever I once was is a pale comparison to what I am.”

“There. That makes it hard to wait for you to tell me. You’re cryptic.”

“I’m being safe. I promised you I’d keep you safe no matter what.”

“I know, and I know you will. I just don’t understand why.”

“Why does there need to be a why? It just is. I took you in and promised you that I would. Besides, now our fates are intertwined, and that was… Well, that had to be planned.”

“What do you mean?”

“A prophecy is just words until the people who are involved hear them. Whatever happened to you, it… You were placed in my path, Kevin. We were totally set up.”

I shivered at the thought. “I think that I… I have this memory of being pulled the same way that I felt when we wound up here. It was like a hook in my stomach that turned me inside out.”

“Yeah. I figured if Denzu was around, his paws were all over it.” He sighed.

“I am sure that I have never known who he is. We’re not friends. Something tells me that I have never known him. So, why did he bring me there? Why did he even come to find me?”

“Maybe he wanted the prophecy to come true?” He shrugged. “Cats are weird.”

“Says the part canine.”

“True.” He pulled out a long stick and slowly slid it through the rabbit, and then he set it on the fire. “It will cook fast. We’ll need to flip it.”

“You promise that you never saw me before?” I asked, hoping for a different answer. It wasn’t that I thought he lied – I just hoped he was trying to spare me some pain.

“Not that I know of.”

“Then why is the prophecy about the two of us? Two people who have never seen each other before… It’s… It makes no sense.”

“I know. It’s… If Denzu and the Crone are involved, and I had no idea that is who Judy actually was, by the way, then it’s very old magic at play. That prophecy might have had to come true. It’s… I’ve never really cared about that kind of thing. I just wanted to live a quiet life.”

“I bet I did. I seem like the kind of person who would be a stay-at-home kind of guy, don’t you think?”

“You could be the life of the party? Who knows?”

“I don’t think so. I think I’m usually scared most of the time. I mean, I’ve been scared all day.” I admitted it. It felt good to confide in him. If we were in this together, he needed to know that I had almost shit my pants more than one time today.

“Well, you were pulled through an interdimensional gap by a cat who transcends time after being attacked by a sword-wielding angel, so… I think that being scared makes sense.”

“You weren’t.”

He frowned. “I was totally freaked out. Did you hear his voice and see the way the door blew inwards?”

“You just knocked it aside as if someone threw a twig at you.”

“You said yourself I have big muscles.”

I threw my arms up in the air and turned the rabbit over. This was not going anywhere, and I understood in some ways why. “Alright, I will wait until tomorrow. Your truth is yours to tell. I just hope that you tell me before it's too late.”

“I will.” He nodded incredibly seriously.

His face was all scrunched up, and it made him even hotter.

Life was not fair. What would he ever want with an amnesiac who may or may not be the cause of a catastrophe?

Maybe I was the one who was causing all this trouble.

Maybe that’s why I had no memory. I wanted to say this out loud to just get it out there.

But I had a right to my secrets as well.

We ate the rabbit and lay down at the back of the very small cavern that he had found to keep us out of the elements. The wind howled around the entrance, but thankfully, it wasn’t blowing inside.

“I really wish I had a blanket,” I muttered.

“Come here.” His voice was no more than a light growl. “I’ll… My body will keep you warm. I wish I could have found more wood, but it’s the desert.”

I scooted over to him and placed my body against his. His arm curled around me, and I rested my head on his shoulder. His hot breath lulled me to sleep, and when I awoke, we were not alone.