Then again, without Wade, who knows where I’d be. Or how I would have helped my dad. Maybe I’d still be fighting his Lemure—or worse. Maybe I’d be dead.
I shudder away the thought.
“Have you heard anything more from your mom?” Wade asks, tickling the space between my thumb and index finger.
I scrunch my face. “Not since the other day. I tried her last night, but she’s taking things a lot harder than I thought she would.”
“Even if your parents weren’t together anymore, they still had a shared bond. They had you,” Wade whispers.
“I know. But we never really talked about him,” I mutter, dropping back down on my side and resting my cheek against his chest.
He runs his left hand across my upper back, making my skin tingle. “Maybe it was hard for her to talk about him? They separated after what happened to you. There’s gotta be a lot of mixed-up feelings in there.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” I say, nodding. “I’ll try her again in a couple of hours. Let her get up and moving for the day before I call. It’s Saturday and she likes to sleep in, if she can.”
“Plus, she must be a little floored by the daily check-ins,” Wade chuckles.
“True,” I say, laughing under my breath.
It’s not that I didn’t want to connect more with her. It’s just that… it’s been hard. Moving out to Windhaven has consumed all of my time. The mysteries and life-or-death situations have captured my attention and held onto it with a viselike grip.
Luckily, she hasn’t taken any of that to heart. She’s just as independent as I am that way. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“What about the others?” Wade asks, laying his hand flat against my arm.
I sigh. “I talked to Cat last night. She said that Colton’s back to his full strength, but even Diana was surprised at how long it took. But other than that, things are still going well with their training. Diana and Blake have been really good for them, I think.”
“That’s good. I mean, on all fronts.”
I tip my chin upward, looking him in the eye. “Even the part about Colton? Are you getting soft in your old age, Mr. Hoffman?”
Wade chuckles. “I don’t have time for grudges. Besides, the guy might have saved my life. Before he did”—his eyes narrow—“whatever he did that day…things were so foggy. Garbled, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it,” I whisper, dropping my gaze.
For a while there, I had thought I’d lost Wade, and I don’t overly want to relive those moments.
“It was probably just a concussion, but who knows? It coulda been way worse, too. So, I gotta have gratitude. You know?” Wade says.
I nod, chewing on the side of my lip.
“All right, enough moping. Come on,” he says, twisting out of my embrace and sitting up on the bed. The blankets slide down around his waist, but he pulls his shirt on before I even get the chance to admire his form.
I groan, lying back down in bed. “But I was comfortable.”
Wade laughs, chucking his pillow at me as he stands up. “Get up, Dru. We’ve got some things to do today.”
“We do?” I say, peeking out from under the pillow.
A dazzling grin spreads across his gorgeous features, melting my resolve. “All right,” I mutter, begrudgingly getting out of bed. I may have been the first one awake, but it doesn’t mean I wanted to be up and moving around.
After a quick breakfast of Pop-Tarts and Red Bull, we’re in Wade’s car, traveling to goodness knows where. All I know is it’s been over an hour, with no end in sight.
“Why won’t you tell me where we’re going?” I ask, quirking an eyebrow.
Wade’s cheeks mound as he shakes his head. “Woman, you’ll know soon enough. Just enjoy the drive, would you?”
I flit my gaze to the snow-covered landscape. We got our first blanket of the white stuff two nights ago. Despite being only a couple of weeks away from Christmas, not even the more festive landscape has been able to lighten my mood. It hasn’t even gotten me into the spirit of the holiday. By now, I’d be chomping at the bit to get up holiday decorations and listen to Christmas music.
But after everything that happened with my dad, I can’t seem to find my joy.
Wade reaches over, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his mouth. He kisses the top of my hand and rests it, still interlocked with his, on the center console.
“If it makes you feel any better, we’re nearly there,” Wade says, shooting me a sideways glance.
I narrow my gaze.
“Don’t give me that look, Ms. Blackwood. It doesn’t suit your pretty face,” he says, smirking.
“Hmph.” I lean back in the seat, staring straight ahead. “Aren’t we getting kinda close to Mistwood Point? We’re not going to see Mom, are we?”
Wade laughs. “No, but now that you mention it, we could swing by later, if you want.”
I scratch the side of my temple, trying to figure out where he’s taking me. It’s been so long since we went anywhere just for fun that the thought of decoding his actions literally makes my head hurt and my stomach uneasy.
Swallowing hard, I lean back in the seat and close my eyes.
When I open them again, Wade’s pulling into a parking lot the size of the entire city of Windhaven.
“Did I fall asleep? Where are we?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.
“We have just landed at the CambridgeSide Mall,” Wade says, his face lit with a mischievous glow.
I can’t stop my eyebrows from rising into my hairline. “You brought me to Cambridge? To go to a mall?”
Wade scoffs. “It’s not just a mall. It’s a journey to Christmasland.”
Snickering under my breath, I turn to face him. “Please tell me that’s not a reference to turning into a vampire in the back of a Rolls Royce Wraith.”
“Only if you want it to be,” he says, chuckling. “No, this is meant to be a good, old-fashioned Christmas-y outing to get you interacting with the world again. Besides, I need to get some hints on what you want as a present.” He shoots me a sly grin.
“Ah, so ulterior motives, then?”
“Always,” he laughs. “Now are you coming with me, or what?”
Wade kicks his door open, letting in a bluster of cold winter air. I shudder, but unbuckle my seat belt and follow him.
The moment we get inside the massive glass structure, we’re inundated by the sights and sounds of the holidays. Decorations of wreaths, trees, and fake snow adorn all of the walkways, and kiosk areas. Holiday music blares throughout the building, enticing even my dormant love for Christmas to come out and play.
“Where would you like to go first?” Wade asks, spinning around in the main entry. “The possibilities are endless… Macy’s? Sephora? Best Buy? Victoria’s Secret?” He grins broadly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
I can’t help but laugh. “You pick. I’ve never been to a mall this big.”
“Never?” Wade asks incredulously.
I shake my head. “No, never. We mostly stuck around Mistwood Point. My mom’s kind of a homebody.”
“Well, my dear Dru, this is a bigger occasion than originally anticipated,” Wade says, reaching out for my hand. As I respond, he wraps my hand around his forearm, and places his hand over top. Tipping his chin high, he declares, “We shall see them all.”
We spend the entire rest of the day in the mall, taking the shops at our leisure and enjoying every minute of it. I don’t remember the last time I spent any amount of time lately just relaxing and enjoying the day. In fact, it’s probably been years. At least before moving here.
For a few blissful hours, even the craziness waiting for us when we return home escapes my mind. We looked at comics, new laptops in the Apple Store, movies in Best Buy, everything in the game store, and Wade even came with me into Kay Jewelers.
By the time we were spent—both physically and monetarily—it was edging near suppertime.
“T
hey have a Cheesecake Factory? Oh, yes please,” Wade says, sighing with delight. “You’re going to love this one. Let me see if they have any openings.” Without another word, he runs off, leaving me standing in the middle of the walkway with our haul.
“Okay, I’ll just…” I say, spinning around and looking for the nearest bench, “wait right here.” Luckily, it isn’t far, but maneuvering through the crowd of shoppers is awkward with so many bags.
When I reach the bench, I detangle my hands from the bags and drop them on the seat. My fingers contort into odd angles, and anyone watching me would think I was mimicking a velociraptor as I tried to stretch them back out.
Suddenly, someone slams into me from behind. I stumble forward, trying to catch my balance on the bench and reaching for my purse as it tumbles off my shoulder.
“Sorry,” the woman mumbles, continuing onward toward the exit in a hurry.
She tugs on a pair of gloves and as she pulls up the hood on her coat, something sparkly tumbles out of it, landing on the tiled floor.
“Hey, wait. You dropped something,” I call out, rushing forward and bending down to pick it up off the floor.
Despite my calls, the woman continues onward, oblivious to the rest of the world. Sighing to myself, I shake my head and take a closer look at what she dropped. In the palm of my right hand is nothing glittery at all. In fact, what rests there is a tattered red thread. My head snaps up as I frantically try to find the woman again in the crowd.
But she’s gone.
Every cell in my body hums in anticipation as fear grips me.
This was no accident.
This was the Moirai sending me a warning.
Chapter 2
The Roller Coaster of a Cursed Life
My head spins and I take a seat on the bench. The entire mall could be on fire and I’d never even notice it. Instead, all I can think about is…
How much time do I have left?
“Well, it looks like there’s about an hour—” Wade pulls up short as he sees the look on my face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
I hold out my hand, palm side up. No words necessary.
Wade plucks the red string from my hand, bringing it closer. The color drains from his face, like the string pulls it straight out of his skin.
“Where did you get this?” he whispers, crumpling the string and tossing it in the nearest garbage. Then, slowly, he takes a seat beside me.
“A woman dropped it,” I whisper. Blinking back my daze, I point toward the main exit, as if he’d somehow be able to still see her.
Wade looks over the sea of people strolling in and out, completely unaware that anything supernatural was happening in their midst.
“Is she still here?” he asks, turning back to me.
I shake my head. “No, she was gone before I even realized what she’d dropped.”
“Why did you pick it up?” he asks. “Maybe it wasn’t meant for you.”
My mouth is suddenly devoid of all moisture, and I flick my tongue across my lower lip. “I didn’t realize what it was. It looked shiny when it fell. I thought it was a piece of jewelry or something.”
Wade’s eyes again dart across the space. “We need to go. It’s not safe here.”
He stands up, grabbing hold of my arm and urging me to rise.
I do as I’m asked, barely able to wrap my head around picking up our bags, or making my feet move.
“We haven’t even finished wrapping up my dad’s affairs. The will… The house. Oh, my god. Mom,” I mutter, wheeling through all of the worst-case scenarios.
Wade whirls around, grabbing my face in his hands. “Stop. Stop this—we are going to figure out what to do. I promise you. We’re not going down without a fight.”
“But you don’t know—and my dad,” I say, my words tumbling out in short sobs. “He tried.”
“I know, I know,” he murmurs, pulling me in close.
I lean into him, wishing his embrace could whisk me away. If he were an angel, like he was meant to be one day, he could just wrap me in his arms and fly away for all I care.
Without a word, Wade lets go of me. He spins around, grabbing hold of my hand and leading me through the exit. The blustery winter wind whips at my hair, tossing it up like I’m on a roller coaster. And I guess in a way, I am.
The roller coaster that is a cursed life.
“I’m sorry, Autumn. I thought this day was going to take us away from all of this,” Wade mutters as we get into his car. Shaking his head, he slams his hands against the steering wheel.
“It’s not your fault,” I say.
Wade snickers as he starts the car. Putting the car into drive, he spins out of the parking lot, racing away from the mall like it’s on fire.
We drive in silence for nearly a half hour. Darkness has descended on us, but the headlights and array of Christmas lights cast a magickal aura across the landscape as we traverse it.
“I was going to take you ice skating,” Wade whispers, tilting his head as he stares out at the road ahead of us.
“What?” I ask.
“There’s a really beautiful outdoor ice-skating rink. It’s got Christmas trees and twinkle lights… I wanted to take you to it,” he says, shaking his head.
“Oh,” I say. My eyelashes flutter as I process this information.
“I love you, Autumn. With everything that’s happened, I don’t want us to lose sight of that,” he says, a hint of sadness lingering between his words.
“I’m not…” I start, but bite back my words.
I haven’t lost sight of it… Have I?
“We deserve to be happy. Even just a little bit. You know?” Wade continues.
Tears well under my eyelids and I nod. “Yeah.”
“We’re not going to be safe until we put all of this behind us. The Moirai will keep coming. They’ll taint anything good until there’s nothing left of us,” he says, clenching his jaw. “I won’t let that happen.”
“I agree.”
Wade sighs, pausing for a moment. “I won’t be going back to Windhaven Academy in January. Now that I’ve been permanently expelled, I don’t have the funds—or a magickal reason to be there.”
My heart is suddenly very heavy, and I stare out of the passenger-side window.
It’s all because of me.
“If you don’t go, I won’t either,” I say, pressing my lips tight.
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not why I was telling you.”
“Think about it, Wade. You said it yourself. The Moirai aren’t going to stop. I can’t just go back to school and act like I’m not being hunted. That we’re not being hunted. We need to end this. Find a way to break the curse. I can’t do that at Windhaven Academy,” I say, snorting to myself. “I highly doubt they have a class on curse-breaking or circumventing fate.”
Silence settles in the vehicle as he gives my words some thought. After a few minutes he finally says, “Maybe you’re right.”
“I know I’m right,” I say, sitting up straighter and paying more attention to the scenery. “Are you taking us to Mistwood?”
“After what just happened, Windhaven’s too far. I thought we could crash here for the night. Besides, it will give you some time to talk to your mom,” Wade says, turning toward the city.
“She’s not going to want to talk about it. I could barely get her to say two words on the phone.”
“Then at least you can sit with her and be in her presence,” Wade says. “Don’t ever take that for granted.”
Guilt coils in my stomach, and I know he’s right. I wish like hell that I had spent more time with my dad when he was alive. Now, it’s too late.
It takes less than ten minutes before we’re pulling into my mom’s driveway. Despite having grown up here, it feels strange now, showing up unannounced.
We don’t even get the chance to open our car doors before Mom’s outside, wrapping her sweater around her as she stands on the front porch.
“Hi, M
om,” I say, walking up the stairs and wrapping my arms around her.
“Hey, sweetie,” she says, pulling me in tight.
It’s been a month since I last visited in person, and every time, I wonder why it takes so long to come back home. Her embraces are one of the only things on this planet that have the power to calm my nerves.
“Hi, Wade,” Mom says, flicking her wrist and inviting him in on the action.
He steps forward, stretching his arms out wide to incorporate us both into his hug. For the longest moment, we just stand there, breathing in the cool air and clinging to each other.
“Come on, ladies. As much as I love you both, I don’t want us to freeze to death out here,” Wade says, chuckling softly and trying to keep things light.
Mom and I nod as he reaches around, opening the door for us.
Once we’re inside, Mom casts me a sideways glance, nodding toward the kitchen. We follow her.
“What are the two of you doing here? Did I know you were supposed to be here?” Mom asks, her hazel eyes switching between the two of us.
Wade shakes his head. “No, we were in Cambridge and—“ he stops, shooting me a glance that will instantly put my Mom’s Spidey senses up.
As if on cue, she quirks an eyebrow and turns to me. “Autumn?”
I stare at her for a moment, trying to look casual. “It’s nothing. We just thought we’d stop by and say hello.”
She narrows her eyes, clearly not buying it.
I fiddle with the bottom of my coat, trying to avoid looking either of them in the eye.
“Autumn found a red thread today,” Wade blurts out.
My head whips around to him. “Traitor,” I say.
Wade’s silver eyes are empathetic as he reaches for me. “After everything, she deserves to know.”
Mom’s eyes are wide as she glances between us. “Thank you, Wade. I’m glad Autumn has someone like you in her life. Since she clearly doesn’t want to include me in it.”
“Mom,” I groan. “That’s not it at all.”
The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 Page 66
