Page 8

8

EMBERLYNN

D rip.

Drip.

Drip.

The sound of the continuous dripping has become almost as familiar as the sound of my breathing. The noise is always there, except for during a few moments in which screams fill the air. But it may still exist. Perhaps the screaming is just louder.

I’m lying on the cement bed with the cage bars filling up my vision. On the other side is a dining hall with a long table that takes up most of the space. Twelve chairs surround it, and from the ceiling above, a cluster of thorn-like vines dangle that illuminate whenever Shadow Man feasts on the blood of the people he kills.

I’m not even sure how he convinces them to come to this eerie place that is made of stone and coldness, the air smelling of rotting death. And yet, on the seventh day of the third month, different people attend his feasts. During this time, they smile at me through the bars. Their smiles aren’t kind; they send chills down my spine. The sad reality, though, is that they should fear me . They catch on to this eventually but belatedly.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Footsteps of thick-soled shoes hit the cement floor and echo against the domed ceiling. I sit up and push back against the bars behind me as he enters the room. His face is always a blurry shadow to me, but he does it on purpose. I’ve heard the people who come here talk about how he looks—his dark hair and what some of the women refer to as sexy eyes. Why he appears to me in a shadow form is a mystery, but I hate it. It makes him resemble a demon. He could be a demon, but I think he’s some sort of magical creature, like me. I don’t know what I am, though.

All I know is that my magic is horrible, and Shadow Man uses it to do all sorts of horrible things. It makes me hate myself. It makes me think that, even though I can’t stand it here, maybe this is where I belong.

“Hey, little pet,” he greets me as he stops in front of my cage. “We have a party tonight, but things are going to work a bit differently.” He steps closer, and his shadowy fingers wrap around a bar. “If you’re a good girl, I’m going to let you out of the cage. But you have to be extremely good, okay? I’m going to ask more from you tonight. I want you to try to use all of your powers. I want you to let go of that control you grasp onto.” He leans in, and his blank, featureless face is terrifying. “I want you to feast with me. ”

I frantically shake my head as I scoot away. “No, I won’t do it. I’m not like you.”

“Oh, little dove, but you are,” he assures me in a darkly sinister tone. “And the less you fight it, the easier it’ll be. But don’t worry. I don’t mind a challenge.” With that, he spins around, and shadows reach out of him. They swirl around me, burning my flesh. My eyes burn with tears, and pain pierces through me.

I open my mouth and let out a scream ? —

My eyes fly open, and I gasp for oxygen as I frenetically peer around, unable to grasp my bearings, a haziness consuming my brain.

“Emberlynn, breathe.” A delicate voice caresses me through the panic.

Lavender eyes suddenly come into my line of vision, then blond hair and the prettiest face I’ve ever seen. A slam of a heartbeat later, all the events of today wash over me.

I’m not in the cage.

I’m not in a foster home.

I’m in the back seat of an SUV with four warlocks who rescued me from getting assaulted by Liam. Because I’m a witch. Because I’m part of their coven.

Wylder is sitting beside me, and his palms are molded to my cheeks, concern creasing every inch of his face. From the passenger seat, Phoenix’s gray gaze dissects me with alarm, and while I can’t see him, I can feel Nico’s gaze boring into me from my other side. Kaiden is also out of my line of vision, hopefully focused on driving.

“I’m fine,” I sputter, feeling like an idiot.

I fall asleep for a handful of minutes and spazz out. Seriously, nice one, Emberlynn.

“I’m sorry,” I apologize for probably giving them all heart attacks.

Wylder’s forehead scrunches. “You don’t have to apologize for having what I’m guessing was a nightmare.”

“It was.” Sighing, l slump back against the seat, causing his hands to fall into his lap. I rub my tired eyes with the heels of my hand then blink a few times, aware they’re staring at me.

“Do you have nightmares a lot?” Wylder treads cautiously

I lift a shoulder. “Sometimes, but never in front of anyone. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Nico hooks his finger under my chin and levels his gaze with mine. It’s the second time he’s done this, and I wonder if it’ll become a habit with him.

“We don’t give a shit that you spazzed out. We just want to know you’re okay.” He’s more intense than he has been, a wave of seriousness rolling off him.

“I’m fine.” It’s the partial truth. While I’m unsure I’ll ever totally be okay, a part of me is glad I woke up here and not in an unfamiliar bed that’s in a house where the unwelcomed pollutes the air so heavily I can’t breathe.

Nico’s wary about my answer, his gaze dissecting me. “Are you hungry?”

My stomach is actually burning with hunger, but I don’t want them paying for my food again. “No, not really.” Like a little dirty traitor, my stomach lets out this loud grumble .

Nico crooks a brow. “You sure about that, rainbow eyes?”

“Okay, maybe I am a little bit, but I’m fine.” I’m used to being hungry.

Nico looks away from me as he slides forward in the seat and crosses his arms on the middle console. “How far away are we from the nearest food place?”

“He doesn’t need to do that,” I quickly tell Wylder. “I’m not that hungry. My stomach just growled because of my nerves. This day has been a lot.”

“I know it has, but it’s fine, Emberlynn. I’m ready for a stop, anyway. And Nico is probably hungry, hence his persistence.” Kaiden’s smile is all sunshine and warmth.

I want to protest further, but Kaiden steers the SUV off an exit offramp that leads to a handful of small chain restaurants, along with a gas station and a grocery store.

Nico reclines back in the seat. “So, what’s your favorite food?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

Nico’s forehead creases. “You don’t know?”

“Not really. When you live in the foster system, you just eat whatever’s given to you,” I explain. “And because a lot of the families are pretty poor, I never really went to a lot of restaurants.”

“But you’ve been to some?” Nico checks.

I nod. “Yeah, on a couple of occasions.”

He rotates toward me, his arm returning to the back of the seat. “So, out of all the places you’ve eaten, what’s been your favorite? ”

Wylder’s right. Nico is persistent.

“Um …” I waver. “I like burgers and fries.”

“And ice cream.” Nico’s eyes light up. “Kaiden, go to that burger pace right there.” He points to this retro diner-like place where the waitresses roll up to the cars on roller skates to take orders. “I want to get a strawberry shake.”

“Nico has a sweet tooth,” Wylder tells me, eyeing me closely. “Are you sure you want burgers? You can have anything you want.”

I think he means it, and I’m not sure why. Sure, I’m part of their coven, but why are they catering to me so much?

“A burger sounds fine.” I feel nervous as we park in front of the marquee. I really don’t want to order and have them pay for my food. I’ve spent years being a burden to the people taking care of me, and I’m tired of it.

They all begin examining the menu when an idea occurs to me on how to get out of this. “Can I get out? I need to use the restroom.” I unfasten my seat belt.

“Of course.” Wylder shoves open the door and hops out.

I follow, climbing out and stretching my arms above my head. “How long have we been driving?”

“A few hours.” Wylder closes the door.

“A few hours? Jesus, how long was I asleep?” I mumble with my nose scrunched.

“Almost a few hours.” Wylder offers me a smile. “It’s okay if you want to sleep. Like you said, it’s been a long day.”

“It really has.” My gaze drifts to the sky where the sunlight is beginning to slip away as the night slowly awakens from its slumber. “I’ll be right back.” I start for the entrance to the café to find the restrooms.

Wylder follows me. “I’ll go with you,” he explains as we reach the entrance door, and he holds it open for me. “It’s better to be on the safe side.”

I flick him a quizzical look as I step inside. “Is it not safe here?”

He hesitates as the door closes behind us. “For the most part, it is. But there are certain types of creatures that we do have to be careful of, even in the human realm.” My eyes widen, causing him to let out a confused chuckle. “You look surprised by something, but I’m not sure what.”

“You just said realm .” I lower my voice as a group of people walk past us. “That’s weird.”

He chuckles again. “You’ll get used to it. I promise.” He places a hand on the small of my back and ushers me toward an arched doorway that has a restroom sign above it.

“I’ll meet you back out here when you’re done,” he says as I open the door to the women’s restroom.

Nodding, I step inside. Then I take my sweet time, using the bathroom, washing my hands, and splashing some water on my face. While I did need to use the bathroom, I’m also avoiding being in the SUV while the waitress is there, taking orders. That way, the guys don’t have to pay for my food again. I’m hungry, but I can manage for a bit. I also need to make sure to find a job once we get to this magical town so I can pay for my own stuff. It’s something I’ve wanted to be able to do for a long time. Having people pay for my stuff means being in debt to them and typically strings are attached.

Once I finish up with all of that, I glance at my reflection in the mirror that’s above the sink. I look surprisingly rested, my eyes less bloodshot, and the dark circles that frequently reside under my eyes are less prominent.

Perhaps because I took a long-ass nap?

Logically, that makes sense. But Wylder did heal me. Could that have something to do with it?

Hopefully, I’ll have more answers the more I learn about this magical world.

I turn away from my reflection and head out of the bathroom. Wylder is waiting by the doorway, just like he said. He’s leaning against the wall and is staring out at the dining room area. Wisps of his blond hair hangs in his lavender eyes, his full lips are tugged downward into a frown, and one of his boot-clad feet is propped against the wall. Again, I note how pretty he is. Like so pretty he almost doesn’t seem real.

I’m checking him out idiotically when his attention shifts to me. That’s when I notice the tension in his posture and jawline.

He instantly seeks my hand. “We need to go.”

The urgency in his voice makes me place my hand in his with zero hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as he strides across the diner with me in tow.

“I’ll explain later,” he mutters as we near the front door.

I start to peer over my shoulder to see if anything appears out of the ordinary, but he tows me out of the diner before I even get a chance.

“Just keep walking,” he utters as we dash toward the SUV.

When we reach it, he yanks open the door, and while I’m climbing in, he glances back at the diner, his aurora humming with electric energy.

“The waitress already left”—Nico gripes as I slide across the leather seat toward him— “so we ordered for you …” His smile fizzles as Wylder climbs in and slams the door. “What the hell are you slamming doors for, bro?”

“There are three rogues inside the diner,” Wylder says in a rush. “And they definitely were paying attention to Emberlynn.”

“Should I be worried they were paying attention to me?” I wonder nervously.

“How do you know they were staring at Emberlynn?” Phoenix asks, his gaze on the diner.

“I didn’t until we were leaving. But trust me, they were.” Wylder restlessly taps his foot against the floor as he surveys the diner. “This is bad, right? I mean, it can’t be a coincidence.” He looks at Kaiden.

Kaiden studies the diner contemplatively. “There is a chance it could be a coincidence.” His gaze slides to me. “I’d ask if you’ve ever met a rogue before, but I’m guessing you wouldn’t know.”

I wrap my arms around myself. “Not that I know of, but … How do you even tell if a witch or warlock is a rogue? ”

“They have a mark.” Kaiden traces his finger along his temple. “A bleeding moon right there.”

“Oh.” Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

There’s no need for me to ask him to elaborate what a bleeding moon mark looks like—I’ve seen one before.

On Shadow Man.

Kaiden’s eyes narrow. “Have you seen the mark before?”

I shake my head, but the lie is thick in my throat. Even worse, he’s on to my bullshit, but for some reason, lets it drop.

“We need to leave. If rogues are around, we don’t want to be anywhere near here.” Kaiden rotates in the seat and shifts the SUV into reverse.

“Man, there goes my double bacon cheeseburger,” Nico complains, letting his head bob back and smack against the back of the seat.

“We’ll check into a hotel in about an hour or two, and you can order room service,” Kaiden tells him in a tolerant tone as he peels away from the diner with the tires squealing.

I slouch back in the seat. My mind is racing a million miles a minute, attempting to process what I learned.

Shadow Man is a rogue.

Shadow Man is a warlock.

Shadow Man is an evil man who made me do bad things. And he’ll do it again if he captures me. Could those rogues work for him?

“I’ll always find you, my little dove ,” he told me. “ No matter what happens, you and I are bonded together forever through blood and death. ”

“If these rogues are after me, I should just go,” I suggest over the echoes of my heart palpitations filling my eardrums. “You can pull over and let me out. I can hitchhike back to town.”

Phoenix’s head whips in my direction. “What? No.”

“But—”

Wylder brushes his fingertips under my chin, causing my words to misstep.

With another graze of his fingers, he angles my head so our gazes are welded. “We’re a coven, so whatever this is—if it is even anything—we’re in this together.”

“I don’t want you guys getting hurt because of me,” I stress, struggling to maintain even breathing. I’m veering toward a panic attack. If I have one, I could lose control of my powers.

The corners of Wylder’s lips turn downward as his fingers travel from my jawline to my neck. “Your heart’s beating so fast.” He presses his fingertips against where my pulse is fluttering like a hummingbird on crack. “You’re anxious.” It’s not a question.

“A little. It happens sometimes,” I admit with a bit of shame. “I need to calm down or I might lose control of my powers.”

His fingers fold around the side of my neck. “I can help you, if you want.”

I urgently nod as my power zaps at my fingertips. “Yes, please.”

He releases a breath. “Just try to relax, okay?” he instructs as he splays his fingers across my cheek.

I nod but am doubtful that’ll happen.

I try to take slow breaths and focus on my heartrate settling down. Like at the diner, when Wylder uses his power on me, the sparkling sensation of it is like basking in sunshine on a calm summer day while walking in the middle of a field of daisies. Peace—that’s what I feel, I think. And I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before except for maybe the one time I got high. It was during the only time I ever had friends. They were stoners but welcomed me into their group. I drank with them sometimes and got high once. But within a few weeks, I was moved to another foster family that lived across town and in a different school district.

“Better?” he asks as his power fades from my body.

I take a mental calculation of how steady my heartbeat is and the even breaths I’m taking. “Yeah, thanks.”

The incandescent smile he gives me is almost too pretty to look at. “Anytime.”

I nod, and he withdraws his hand.

The cab falls silent for a few minutes, other than the quiet murmur of the engine as Kaiden drives back onto the freeway. My mind attempts to force me back to the memories of my time with Shadow Man, but the calmness Wylder instilled in my body is more powerful than that.

It’s nice.

Too nice .

Sometimes it’s really difficult to trust nice when it’s so foreign.

As Kaiden and Phoenix begin discussing the possible scenarios of why rogues were at the diner, I hunker down in the seat and attempt to find a comfortable position.

Nico shifts then ducks his head to whisper in my ear, “Are you good?” Mild amusement glitters in his voice. When I bob my head up and down, he chuckles. “Yeah, Wylder’s magic can give you a wicked high, depending on what he’s trying to heal. I once broke all the bones in my leg, and he had to use so much of his magic on me that I thought I was living with the stars for three days.”

My head lulls toward him, and when I meet his gaze, he’s smiling. “How did you break your leg that badly?” I ask.

“I jumped out a three-story window because I thought I could fly.” His smile broadens. “In my defense, I was drunk.”

“I once broke three of my toes,” I mumble lazily. Nico was right. Wylder’s magic is making me high. “Because I kicked a kid in the shin.”

“Really? How old were you?”

“Around seven.”

It was right when I was put into foster care. I was struggling with existing in the human world after living with what I’m now assuming is a rogue for a few years. Going from one extreme to another was a confusing shock to the system. I learned then that I was an anomaly. At least, that’s what I believed until these guys showed up .

“I don’t kick people anymore,” I say. “Although, I did kick Liam a few times.”

The muscle in Nico’s jaw twitches. “He deserved it. He deserved more.”

“But you guys took care of that,” I remind him, watching his reaction closely.

His eyes narrow. “Why do I get the feeling you still think we killed him?”

I scratch the corner of my eye. “I don’t.”

His head tilts to the side, the corners of his lips quirking. “Liar. And now I know your tell.” He tugs a strand of my hair. “It’s cute, though.”

I crinkle my nose. “I’m not cute.” In fact, I kind of smell.

Eva only allowed me to take a shower three times a week, and tonight was supposed to be one of my shower days. During the incident with Liam, my anxiety had risen so much that I started to sweat. So, yeah, saying I need a shower is like saying the sky is blue. Hopefully, when we get to the hotel room, I can take one.

What will the sleeping arrangement be? Most hotel rooms usually have two beds. If that’s the case, I’ll sleep on the floor. It’s not the first time I’ve had to do that. And I used to sleep in a cage when I was with Shadow Man, so anything’s better than that.

Wylder merely dazzles me with a smile before rotating forward. He joins the conversation then.

I decide to observe them and figure out as much as I can. It’s a protective mechanism I picked up pretty early on in life. Studying people helped me navigate through some toxic households.

I’m not picking up many toxic traits from these guys, though. Wylder is quiet and sweet. Nico is the biggest jokester of the four. Phoenix has got that whole brooding bad boy thing about him. And Kaiden? My guess would be that some people would see his guarded and controlled mannerisms as borderline psychotic, but I believe there’s more to it than that. That he’s this way due to some messed-up trauma he suffered. I’ve seen it before in some of my foster siblings. Hell, I’ve acted that way myself.

Hopefully, I’m right about this, because if I’m not, the guys are scary as fuck.

“What the hell is this place?” I mumble, eyeing the lavish, ivy column entrance that canopies a spinning glass door.

We’re in a town about an hour away from where we attempted to stop and get food. When we first drove in, a series of older motels lined the road. I thought we’d stop at one, but nope. Kaiden drove to the heart of the town where fancy shops bordered the brick sidewalks. After driving for a few more minutes, he pulled up to this place and parked in front of the entrance.

“A hotel.” Nico unbuckles his seat belt, takes one look at my face, and snorts a laugh. “Kaiden has rich-boy taste.”

“Staying in a nice place doesn’t mean I have rich-boy taste,” Kaiden argues as he shuts off the engine. “And you’re one to talk. You grew up in a castle.”

My eyes go huge. “What?”

Nico rolls his eyes. “It’s not a castle. It’s just a really large stone building with towers.”

Another blink from me, because who the hell grows up in a castle? “Are you all wealthy?”

Wylder shakes his head as he reaches to unfasten his seat belt. “My family is considered lower class. Phoenix’s is normal.”

What does normal class mean in the warlock world? And why are there even different wealth classes?

“How does that even work?” I ask as Nico pushes open the door and hops out. “I mean, you’re magical or whatever; can’t you just cast a spell to make your own money?”

“As lovely as that sounds, it’s illegal to do so.” Nico offers me his hand like some Victorian romance novel gentleman.

I take it. “Yeah, but how would anyone know if you did it?”

“The council can restrict our magic, and about a century ago, they decided to restrict that power.” Nico helps me out of the vehicle, laces our fingers together, and steers me around to the wide stairway that leads to the entrance doors. “They said it was so that there would be an incentive for us to work and earn money, but really, it’s just about powerful people wanting to remain powerful.”

“Careful, Nico,” Wylder warns as he steps up beside us. “ Even though we’re in the human world, the council could still overhear you.”

“Good,” Nico mutters but stops talking about it, anyway.

The three of us head in while Kaiden and Phoenix stay behind to grab our bags and give the key fob to the valet.

The interior of the building is equally as exquisite as the exterior, with domed glass ceilings, marble floors, and a coffee shop tucked into a corner.

Nico and I head over to it while Wylder checks in.

“I need a caffeine jolt,” Nico tells me as we arrive at the counter. “All this human-like traveling is making me exhausted.”

“How do you normally travel?” I wonder, keeping my voice low as the barista approaches us.

We pause the conversation as Nico orders five coffees, and I already know one is for me. I’d argue, but I’m too tired at the moment.

Once the barista goes to make our coffee—but not without openly checking out Nico—he picks up the conversation right where we left off. “There are portals you can use to get where you want, except to the human world. You can also get a pass to create your own portal. If it’s approved, of course.” He sighs. “Just another way the council tries to control us.”

I worry my lip between my teeth. “Is it really that bad?”

He rests his arm on the counter. “I mean, it is and it isn’t. It’s way better than this human world, but there is stuff that needs to be changed. But that’s with all places, I’m sure.” He straightens. “You, however, don’t have to worry about that, because you’ll have your own form of power with our coven.”

Puzzlement webs through me. “What do you mean?”

“You’re our heart ; therefore, you get power over us.”

I’m beyond taken aback. “Isn’t Kaiden your guys’ boss?”

A beat skips by, and then he busts up laughing.

“He really does act like it, doesn’t he?” he says through his laughter. “But he’s not.”

“Oh.” A frown pulls at my lips as his words spin around in my head.

His laughter fades, perplexity replacing it. “What’s with the pretty frown, pretty eyes?”

There he goes again with that pretty nonsense.

“It’s just an average frown,” I stress, and he gives me a sarcastic if-you-say-so look. “And I was just thinking about how you said I’m going to have power over this coven, but how the hell is that supposed to work when I don’t even know how to control my own magic?”

“You’ll get there,” he assures me.

The barista returns then with a cupholder full of four coffees and one in her hand. Nico takes them from her and hands me the spare one, totally ignoring her when the barista gives Nico fuck-me eyes.

He seems like a flirty sort of guy—warlock—so his blasé attitude toward her is a tad bit puzzling. Maybe he’s dating someone?

We’re walking away from the coffee shop when he notes my expression. “What? ”

“Nothing.” I fiddle with the sleeve of the coffee cup.

“No, it’s something,” he insists. “Come on; just tell me.”

Great. Why can’t I have more control over my expression? I wonder if there’s a spell for that.

“It really is nothing,” I promise as we near the lounge area where leather sofas are positioned in front of a fireplace. “That barista was just completely trying to get you to flirt with her, and you ignored her, but you kind of seem like a flirty sort of guy, so I was wondering if you were dating someone, or if my ability to read people has gone to shit. Or maybe I just can read warlocks.”

When he rubs his lips together in an apprehensive sort of manner, I want to kick my own ass.

“Sorry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, you’re fine.” He switches the coffee holder into his other hand. “You can ask any question you want, Emberlynn. I just got a little weird because you read me correctly, but I don’t want to be that way anymore.”

“Flirty?” I check, unsure why. I’d love to have his light and friendly personality.

He unevenly nods. “Or, well, I do want to be flirty, but only with my soul mate.”

“Do soul mates exist?” I inquire, and he nods. “Is it like a magical thing?”

“Sort of.” He shifts his weight, seeming twitchy again. “This is kind of a complicated question that could take a while to answer. And right now, we should probably go get situated in our room so we can eat, because I’m starving.” He smiles.

It’s totally fake.

And totally confusing.

But since I have zero clue why, I put a pin in it for now. Besides, why would I know what his smiles mean? I’ve known him for what? Like a day.

And yet, I’m more comfortable around him than I have been with anyone else in my life. That might not mean much, since most people who floated in and out of my life weren’t that great. And the one warlock in my life was the worst of all. Or perhaps that was my parents. After all, they’re the ones who gave me to him.