Page 5

5

EMBERLYNN

A reply doesn’t even come to me. Witches and warlocks? That was not what I was expecting. When I still lived with my parents, and even for the few years I was Shadow Man’s prisoner, no one mentioned any sort of title to what I was. Shadow Man spoke about tormenting me and using me as a weapon, but that was it.

He didn’t seem like these guys, either. He reeked of darkness and evil, and I saw him kill a few times with a snap of his fingers. His eyes always looked hollow, except in the moments when he ended lives. Then he looked alive.

It was terrifying—I was terrified, just like I am now.

Okay, I’m not necessarily afraid, so much as shocked.

But I’m a witch? A freaking witch?

Our waitress shows up before I can wrap my head around it .

“Hey,” she greets us with a pen and notebook in her hand.

She’s around twenty years old, has dark hair pulled up into a bun, and is wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt with an apron over it. And pinned to the front of that is a nametag that reads, “ Leah .” It’s immediately apparent that she thinks Kaiden and Wylder are gorgeous, since she gets a little flustered as she poises her pen to the notepad.

“Are you guys ready to order?” she asks, her blue eyes shifting between Wylder and Kaiden. “Or do you need a few more minutes?”

“We need a few more,” Kaiden replies without glancing at her. He’s staring at me as if attempting to measure my reaction to what they just told me.

I’m a witch.

Witch.

Witch.

And they’re warlocks.

I’m not alone anymore.

That thought hits me like a punch to the throat.

Wylder offers Leah a friendly smile. “Can you give us a few minutes? Sorry we’re taking so long.”

She smiles at him, and the oddest sensation bites the inside of my chest, like clawing rage. But as quickly as it rises, the feeling dwindles, leaving me to wonder what it was.

When the waitress nods and walks off, Wylder turns to Kaiden. “You didn’t need to be rude about it,” he tells him. “She was just doing her job.”

“I wasn’t rude. She asked a question, and I answered.” Kaiden reclines back in the booth and thrums his fingers against the table. “She didn’t leave any menus.”

“They’re right here,” I tell him as I grab some menus from a tray that’s beside the salt and pepper shakers. Then I point at the menu on the wall. “That’s probably their specials.” I slide a menu to him then hand one to Wylder, who offers me a smile as he takes it.

He smiles a lot, and while it might be the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen, I’m not used to having such lightness directed at me. It’s weird.

All of this is.

Silence settles over the table as the two of them study their menus. I don’t. I look out the window where the woods are visible in the distance. What are Phoenix and Nico doing to Liam at this moment? Are they really not killing him? Or was that a lie? Do I care? Not as much as I should. What does that say about me?

“Emberlynn.” Wylder’s voice tugs me from my thoughts.

Turning my head, I realize Leah has returned to take our orders.

I blink at Wylder. “Huh?”

A drop of concern cascades across his features. “Do you know what you want?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I already ate breakfast.” Or, well, I ate half a bagel before Liam showed up, and then I accidentally dropped it along with my sunglasses and earbuds.

Even though I might be hungry, I don’t have any money. I rarely do since holding down a job when constantly battling a force inside me is complicated. Not to mention my home address changes every handful of months.

Wylder eyes me then twists back around and tells the waitress, “Can we get another coffee and some pancakes?”

Leah nods as she jots that down, her attention drifting in my direction. “Sure thing.” She flashes Wylder a smile before sauntering off toward the kitchen.

I envy her ease of smiling and talking. How would it be to be like that?

I’ll probably never know.

We fall silent again as Kaiden and Wylder stare at me. I think they might be waiting for me to say something, but I’m unsure of what to say.

“Warlocks and witches,” I finally mumble. “That sounds crazy.”

Kaiden arches his brows. “Does it? Because you don’t sound that shocked.”

I quietly sigh. “I’m not super shocked, but mostly because it explains everything that’s happened to me over the years. But I’m confused about how witches and warlocks exist. Sure, I’ve read about them in books, but that’s supposed to be fiction.”

Kaiden’s attention never wavers from me. “Do you read a lot?”

I nod. “Sometimes to pass the time, but I also tried to figure out what I am through older books since searching about powers and magical abilities online leads to a lot of crazy rabbit holes. I’ve never found anything, though. ”

“Have you …?” Wylder hesitates. “What about your parents? Have you always been in foster care?”

I smash my lips together as warmth swells in my chest. Then I take a measured breath before I reply, “I lived with my parents until I was five, and they acknowledged my powers but never told me what I was. Or what they were.” I decide to keep my lips zipped about my time with Shadow Man until I’m certain I can trust them. “Then they left me and …” I shrug, leaving it at that.

Wylder unexpectedly brushes his fingers through my hair, startling me so severely that my shoulder jolts upward. But then gentle calmness washes over me.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “That had to be hard to go through.”

“It was,” I mumble, too puzzled by the calmness in my body to focus on what I’m saying. “What is that?”

Wylder’s forehead creases. “What is what?”

“That calming sensation.” I assess him. “Are you doing that?”

Kaiden looks at Wylder then lifts a brow.

Wylder clears his throat and moves back from me. “Sorry. I didn’t even mean to do that. It just sort of slipped out. It’s one of my abilities.” He fiddles with a fork that the waitress left. “I’m a healer warlock, which means I can heal, calm, and soothe. Stuff like that.”

I study him, his full lips and then his eyes, the lavender now swirling with pools of gray. He can heal, calm, and soothe. That’s kind of amazing .

He meets my gaze. “I won’t use it on you anymore unless I ask you if I can first. Or you can ask me to do it.”

Does that mean we’re going to be around each other more? Why?

I give a curious glance at Kaiden. “What can you do?”

His silver aura stretches outward, as if attempting to expand suddenly but shrinks inward again. He flexes his fingers, and black lines snake across his flesh.

Wylder’s back stiffens. “How about we get to that question a little later?” he suggests to Kaiden and me.

I may have disagreed, but the waitress returns with three cups of coffee.

“Here you go.” She sets one in front of Wylder then Kaiden before sliding one over to me. “And I’ll be right back with your food.”

Wylder reaches for the packets of sugar while Kaiden grabs the creamer. I look down at the steaming cup of coffee in front of me, wondering why it’s there.

“Did you order this?” I ask to no one in particular.

Wylder is the one to answer. “I can tell you’re hungry.” He shakes the packet of sugar a few times before tearing it open. “It’s part of my gift. Sort of.” He dumps the sugar into the coffee while trading a discreet look with Kaiden. “All of us have that one.”

“Of being able to tell when I’m hungry?” I question perplexedly.

He nods. “Yeah.” He offers no further explanation.

My confusion deepens. “You’re being vague, but I don’t know you, so maybe that’s your thing.” I scratch my arm. I hate constantly feeling like a charity case. “I … I can’t pay for this. I’m broke. That’s why I didn’t order anything.”

“It’s on us,” Wylder tells me as he dumps more sugar in his coffee. “We brought you here, so breakfast is on us.”

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, feeling so pathetic I can barely stand it. “I’m not a charity case. I know I probably look like one, but … I don’t need a pity breakfast.”

Wylder sets the empty sugar packet down, his attention snapping to me. “That’s not what this is.” He grazes his fingertips along my jawline, and again, I jolt. He quickly withdraws his hand, collects a spoon, and stirs the coffee. “Besides, we have a long drive back home, and while we’ll probably stop to get something to eat, we won’t make as many stops as we should because Phoenix is a little bitch and rushes us whenever we’re traveling.”

As lovely as it sounds to get out of my current living situation … “Um … I can’t just leave. I’ll be reported as a runaway.”

Kaiden raises the brim of the coffee mug to his lips, takes a sip, then places the cup down. “No, you won’t because we’re removing you from the human system.” He shifts, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table. “You never should’ve been part of it to begin with.”

I internally sigh. “I appreciate the offer and everything, but I don’t have anywhere to go. And I already told you I don’t have any money, so I can’t just get my own place in this Moonlight Crest town.”

Wylder and Kaiden look at each other again—I swear they’re speaking to each other telepathically—then Wylder smiles at me. “You can stay with me. My mom has already agreed to it, and Lila, my sister, is excited about it. Just a warning, though, she might be a lot.”

“More than him,” Kaiden adds, giving a pressing look at Wylder.

Wylder returns it with a dirty look, but a smile creeps onto his face.

Me? I’m stirring in a sea of what the fuck.

“I can’t just live with you. I don’t even know you,” I say, gaping at him.

“You don’t know your foster families when you go to live with them,” Wylder points out, lifting the coffee mug to take a sip.

He has a point, but still … “It’s weird.” I absentmindedly collect the coffee mug and take a sip before setting it back down. “Why would your mom not care if I lived with you? For all you know, I could be a serial killer.”

Wylder snorts a laugh, and the sound is better than my favorite song. “You’re not a serial killer. We know you’re not.”

“How can you be so sure?” I question, elevating my brows.

The truth is, I’m not a serial killer, but I have been responsible for deaths. And I hate myself for it.

“Because we just know.” He angles his body toward mine. “Like when you touched Kaiden’s hand and knew he was telling the truth, we know you’re not evil. ”

I skim my fingers along my palm. “You never touched my hand, so how can you know?”

“Kaiden did when you touched his,” he reminds me. “So, stop trying to freak us out and come live with me. My mom is overbearingly nice, and my sister is annoying but kind. And you can attend Cursed Moon Academy with us, where you can learn all about magic and warlocks and witches. You can learn about who you should’ve been all this time.”

I swallow hard. “How did I even end up in human foster care if I’m a witch?”

A beat of silence skips by.

“We’re not sure,” Kaiden finally says. “We were wondering if you had the answer to that … You said something about him sending us to get you. Can you tell us who he is?”

I smash my lips together. “I’m not sure who he is exactly. He never told me his name. But I was with him for three years before”—I swallow down the heat scorching my throat— “before I was put into the foster system.” Closing my eyes, I turn my head toward the window. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” I can barely breathe past the fiery heat blazing through my veins.

“You don’t have to right now,” Wylder tells me, slipping his fingers through mine. “Do you want me to calm you down?”

My eyes snap open, and I blink a few times before looking at him. “I’m fine,” I say quietly as my powers simmer to a soft lullaby.

He smooths his fingertips across the backs of my knuckles before pulling away. “We can talk about other things for a bit, if you want.”

I nod. “Yes, please.”

A sad smile touches his lips, and it’s perplexing. It’s like he’s grieving over something, but what?

The waitress returns then, and after giving the guys what they ordered, she sets a plate of pancakes in front of me.

I stare down at it, unsure if I’m annoyed or relieved that they bought me food, too.

“Eat,” Kaiden tells me as he collects a fork and dives into his pancakes. “Wylder’s right. We won’t stop much on our way home.” He stuffs a bite full into his mouth.

Why is he so convinced I’ll go with him? Wylder seems so, too. I never said I would. And it’d be weird to live with his family. But I’ll admit part of me wants to.

Heavy conflict weighs inside me and fills up my mind enough that I pour syrup onto the pancakes and take a bite. Then I release an unexpected moan. But holy hell, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything other than processed food.

Wylder’s and Kaiden’s attention darts to me.

“Sorry.” I cover my mouth. “I just haven’t had pancakes for a while. I forgot how good they were.”

Again, that grieving look crosses Wylder’s expression. “We can get you more.”

“No, I’m fine. This is way more than enough.” I cut another slice. “Thank you for buying them for me.”

He’s in the middle of getting ready to bite into his own pancakes but pauses. “You don’t need to thank me for anything—ever.” He says the words so intensely my heart skips a beat.

I have to collect myself before taking another bite of my pancake, and my fingers tremble.

“Let’s take a break from the heavy,” Kaiden suggests as he butters his pancakes. It’s like he’s reading my mind. Maybe he can …

That thought is alarming.

Wylder nods, and then they start discussing school, classes, and tournaments.

I sit quietly as I eat my pancakes, feeling strangely calm as I listen to their voices. It’s a bit daunting to take it all in—all this talk about magic. By the time we’re finished eating, I’m overwhelmingly confused and have barely uttered more than a few words. But my stomach feels full for once, so that’s a plus.

“You look so lost,” Wylder remarks as Kaiden digs his wallet out of his pocket.

“That’s because I have no idea what you guys spent the last ten minutes talking about,” I tell him as I finish off the last of my coffee.

“You’ll catch on—we’ll make sure of that.” He smiles at me. “That’s why we exist.”

I tip my head to the side. “You exist to make sure I understand everything about witches and warlocks?”

“Yeah, sort of,” he replies vaguely as he slides to the edge of the booth and rises to his feet .

“That’s weird,” I tell him as I scoot over to get up.

“It isn’t in our world,” Wylder says as Kaiden drops a hundred-dollar bill onto the table then stuffs his wallet into his pocket.

My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. A hundred freaking dollars?

Wylder notes my shock and smiles musingly. “Kaiden doesn’t fully understand the concept of human money. Or money in general.”

Kaiden targets an annoyed glare at him as we start toward the door. “I understand it. I just only have hundreds on me.”

Wylder shakes his head and rests his hand on the small of my back as we exit the diner. I’m unsure how to react to his touch; part of me longing for it, the other fearing it.

Kaiden heaves a frustrated breath but gets distracted as he spots Nico and Phoenix hiking across the parking lot toward us.

My first instinct is to see if they have any blood on their hands or clothes, but they look clean—too clean to be digging a grave in the woods. Unless they used magic.

“You didn’t get us any food?” Nico whines as he approaches us. His attention shifts between Kaiden and Wylder, and then he juts out his lip, pouting. “What the hell? I’m starving, and we all know Phoenix will be a bitch about making stops.”

“Fuck off,” Phoenix snaps at him, his face lined harshly with annoyance, but that dissipates when his gaze travels to me. When he notes that I’ve noticed he’s looking at me, he turns away.

“If you want something, go order it,” Kaiden tells Nico while checking his watch. “Just make it quick.”

“A little warning, though. The diner’s weird.” Wylder is standing beside me with his hand still on my back. “The menus are on the tables. I’m not sure why.”

I go over that remark in my head. Where the heck do diners in their world keep menus?

“Your confusion’s so cute.” Nico smiles at me, his blond hair dancing in the light breeze.

For some reason, I can feel this odd vibe coming off of him, one I can’t fully comprehend. It feels like he’s a bit different from the other three; I just don’t know why.

“Nico,” Kaiden warns with a stern look.

“What?” Nico roguishly grins. “Look at her face and tell me she’s not cute.”

“I’m not cute,” I say, startling them all. I wrap my arms around myself and stare down at the asphalt. “I don’t know why you guys keep saying that when it’s total bullshit, so please stop.”

I’ve never been called cute before, but I have been told several times that I’m good-looking. Those comments were never followed by anything good, and I learned quickly that any remark about my looks meant I should flee. It’s also part of why I stopped putting effort into my appearance, hoping to make it all stop.

“I’m sorry,” Nico utters softly .

I don’t look up at him. I do what I do best and try to blend into nothingness, keeping my lips cinched.

Quietness drifts by. Who knows what they’re thinking, but they probably want to retract their offer to take me home with them.

“Go get some food. Just hurry,” Kaiden suddenly says. When I glance up, he’s digging some keys out of his pocket. Then he twirls the keychain around his finger while glancing at the stormy sky. “I want to make it halfway home before nighttime.”

It’s weird they’re driving when they have magical powers, yet I’m more focused on the fact that I’m still not positive if I should go with them. Sure, they’ve told me what they are and what I am, but they never explained why they showed up to take me to some magical town after I spent years living with humans.

“Do you need to go get your stuff?” Kaiden asks, glancing at me.

I hesitate. “I’m not sure if I should go with you.” Why do they even want me to when I’m acting like such a freakshow right now?

Nico’s brows spring toward his hairline, Phoenix’s aurora darkens, matching the graying sky, Wylder appears hurt, but Kaiden shows zero emotion.

“You’d rather stay here?” Phoenix questions slowly, like he thinks I’m insane. And maybe I am. “In this pathetic town?”

“No … I don’t know.” I fiddle with the sleeve of my jacket, sliding my finger along the scar there, a reminder of how bad things have gotten for me. “I just … I’m just confused about a lot of stuff.” I sigh. “Why did you guys suddenly show up to get me and take me back to this town when I’ve lived here for years?”

The four of them exchange a subtle look, and I detect a shift in their postures.

“It’s a long story, but the short version is the council sent us to get you,” Kaiden explains as the wind picks up. “No one knew about your existence until a few days ago, but we left to get you the moment we found out. And if we’d known you were here, we would’ve gotten you a long time ago.”

I process what he said, but it only causes more questions to pop into my mind. “What council?”

“They’re lawmakers in our world,” Nico answers while scuffing the tip of his sneaker against the ground. “They’re annoying as hell, but they keep the order and peace amongst witches and warlocks. You know, so no one goes around trying to melt someone’s brain just because they got bumped into.” Nico glances at Phoenix, who glares at him in response.

My eyes are huge. “You can melt someone’s brain?”

“Goddammit, Nico. You didn’t need to bring that up,” Wylder curses, glaring at him. Then his expression softens when he looks at me. “Nothing like that will ever happen to you. And Phoenix didn’t melt anyone’s brain.”

“Okay.” I have no idea how to respond, my eyes remaining wide with shock .

Kaiden scrubs his hand over his forehead. “Why do you guys have to test my patience every day?”

“Why do you think you’re the boss every day?” Nico counters with an eye roll.

“Someone has to make sure you all don’t go off the deep end,” Kaiden retorts, his voice conveying indifference, but his stance is stiff.

Silent rigidness nips between them.

“Maybe we should talk about our dysfunction later.” Wylder blows out an exasperated breath then turns toward me. “I get that this all sounds crazy. And at this point, we probably do, but once everything has settled, we’ll chill out.”

“I’m chill,” Kaiden protests.

Wylder rolls his eyes but never looks away from me. “I know I’m asking a lot from you, especially when you barely know me. But I’m hoping you’ll trust me enough to believe when I say things will get better if you come with us because you do belong with us. I know it might not feel that way right now, but you’ll understand later.”

They all wait for me to respond, and I’ll admit, when he’s looking at me like this, it’s difficult not to simply agree,

“Why are you guys driving, anyway?” I dodge answering him as my mind bounces back and forth between what to do. “If you have all these powers, can’t you just magically transport yourselves to this Moonlight Crest place?”

“We used to be able to,” Wylder says with his arms folded, his jaw set tight. “Until about twenty years ago, when a group of warlocks and witches decided it was a great idea to abuse their power.”

That opens a whole new door of questions. Before I can ask, though, Kaiden mumbles, “Let’s leave the evil discussions until after we get in the car.” He gives a pressing glance at an older couple making their way to their car parked close to where we’re standing. “That is … if you’re coming with us?” He directs the question to me.

Nico opens his mouth, but Phoenix smacks him in the chest, silencing whatever he is about to say. Wylder offers me a hopeful look, while Kaiden waits patiently.

In the back of my mind, I question what they’d do if I declined. Would they leave me here? Or would they force me to go?

I never find out the answers because the truth is I have absolutely zero desire to stay here anymore. It’s a feeling I’ve carried with me every day for as long as I can remember.

“All right,” I tell them. “I’ll go with you.”