Enchanting Wilder

by Cassie Graham

  “That Lotus case?”

  “What’s a Lotus?” I ask as I readjust in my seat, the orange cushion cracking under my body.

  “How did you even know about that?” Declan stammers, shaking his head.

  Wood shoves his burger into his mouth and wipes the greasy dribble on his chin with a napkin. “It’s been all over the wire. Pursuers from around the globe have been called in to help. Huge outbreak.”

  I look to Declan, setting my sandwich down.

  “Lotuses are reincarnated gods,” Declan tells me, resting his elbows on the table.

  My mouth falls open but the only sounds to come out are faint. Candy does the same. “What?”

  “Like, Egyptian gods? Those kinds of gods?” Candy whispers, being discreet as a guy in a trucker hat and bubble coat passes us.

  “Sure. They’re from all over, though, not just Egypt,” Wood tells her, shoving obnoxious amounts of food in his mouth. “Romania. Russia. Greece. They’re a bunch of high and mighty douchebags, if you ask me. Pursuers took most of them out in twentieth century, but this is the year of rebirth, so they’ve been popping up causing mayhem.”

  “So, you guys were prepared,” I say, feeling better they at least knew these monsters were coming.

  “For the most part,” Declan offers. “It’s knowing the location of each one that’s a little sketchy. They tend to pop up in the most secular places, though. So, that helps.”

  “Which makes sense because California is known as land of the beautiful, I’m sure for people like gods, it’s the best place.”

  “Unfortunately it’s true. They’re judge, jury and executioner when it comes to mortals. They couldn’t care less if it’s true or not. Gods are only good for one thing,” Declan says, giving Wood a sly smile.

  “Target practice,” Wood finishes for Declan, laughing.

  All of us join in—well, all of us except Kai.

  “What’s up, Kai? You’re quiet over there.”

  He makes a face at the chicken sitting on his plate. “Sorry. I’m still trying to adjust to the taste of food. I’m having a hard time stomaching it.”

  “Then why eat?” Candy asks, moaning as she takes a bite of her sandwich.

  Kai takes his fork, piercing it into the deep fried piece of meat. “In an effort to keep up appearances. Imagine if a monster walked in. I’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

  Declan’s face falls and my mouth thins. He doesn’t like the idea of someone catching us off guard. Hell, none of us do, I’m sure.

  “They just walk into restaurants? Why? Can they do that?” Candy asks.

  Kai gives his chicken another moody glare and pushes the plate away. “We’re all basically trying to do the same thing—blend in.”

  Wood reaches for his soda, taking a drink from the straw. “But, why?”

  “It’s part of Maker’s plan. Acclimate ourselves and, when the time is right, strike.”

  Not satisfied I prod again. “But, why?” I repeat Wood’s question, sitting back into the cushions. “I’m somehow part of this and I don’t understand.”

  “Honestly, neither do I. I checked in yesterday while you guys were asleep, and, from what I understand, they do have your parents. For some reason, you and your family are connected to whatever Maker has planned. I just don’t know the details.”

  My mind races as my hands begin to sweat. The lack of answers as to why we all tie into this whole ordeal is starting to weigh on me. “How come you didn’t know about my parents before?”

  Kai inhales, the accusation clear in my tone. “I only knew what Maker wanted me to know. I’m in the dark about everything. Me and one other demon knows of Maker’s secret. Apparently Maker had to divulge some information seeing as how we put a dent in the plan.” He gestures toward the car outside.

  “The guy-slash-woman in the car? That’s the other person who knows?” Wood clarifies, his mouth falling open in surprise.

  “Yeah. They started looking for him, in case you’re wondering, last night. It didn’t take long for whatever demon is in the son to go back and report that the one you call Mrs. Carlson was missing.”

  “So, Clayton or whoever was inside him, never knew about the plan Maker has?” Declan asks.

  “No. He had no idea. Crone was his superior.” He motions to the car we can all see through the window.

  “Crone is Mrs. Carlson?” Candy asks and Kai nods. “How do you know who each demon is?”

  “When you’re trapped for years, it’s easy to remember everyone. It’s the new ones I have a hard time with.”

  “But how?” I argue. “They have human faces.”

  “I can see through the cloaking.”

  “You can see the demon under the human form?” Declan asks with his mouth wide in disbelief.

  “Yes.” Kai speaks so simply, brushing off our stunned expressions.

  Declan looks down at his phone, checking the time. “We need to get going. I told mom we’d be there soon. If we aren’t, she’ll send the search team out for us.”

  “We can’t let that happen again,” Wood chides with a glint of mischievousness in his eye.

  Candy and I both narrow our eyes at them.

  “What does that mean?” I ask.

  Declan’s eyes bulge as he mouths “shut up,” at Wood.

  “Oh no, now I have to hear this story,” I prod, biting the inside of my lip.

  Declan slides out of the booth with his hands up in surrender. “Hell no.”

  I do a giddy little dance and follow behind him as he strides out of the restaurant.

  Wood cracks a laugh and walks behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s just say we had a run in with some…expensive ladies and Declan and I got a little…tied up for a while.”

  We exit the restaurant, Candy and I screeching with laughter. Kai’s got a confused expression on his face, his lips pursed.

  When we all pile into the car, Declan’s furrowed forehead in the rearview mirror makes me howl even louder. Turning a shade of red I’ve never seen before, he grits his teeth and moans.

  I slap the back of the seat. “Oh my God, wait,” I mock, shaking my head, “you’re saying you and Wood got tied up by a bunch of hookers?” I have hold my stomach as I cackle.

  “Ladies of the night,” Declan corrects, his embarrassed facade fading away. A smile tugs on the edge of his lips. “Yes.”

  “Oh my God,” Candy snorts.

  “You guys are insane,” I say, my jaw hurting from smiling so much.

  Wood’s hides his head in his hands in the front seat. Muffled through his skin, he says, “So, mom sent out a group of Pursuers and they found us chained to chairs somewhere in Montana.”

  Kai actually snickers next to me while Candy and I drop our heads against the seat laughing like hyenas.

  “Not my finest hour,” Declan admits as he starts the car.

  “Amen to that, brother.” Wood high fives Declan.

  “I thought we had crazy lives,” Candy ponders.

  “You do. Just a different type of crazy,” Declan assures her with a flash of a smile in the rearview mirror.

  I love they get along so well. It’s nice to see us all able to be around each other and not want to kill one another. Though, same can’t be said for Wood and Candy. I think they might want to strangle each other sometimes. They have such an odd dynamic.

  “I want to have a crazy life,” Kai mutters, his arms crossed over his chest.

  I pat his leg. “Don’t worry. With these two, God only knows what trouble you’ll get in to.”

  Kai’s eyes light up. “I can hardly wait. But first, we need to save the world.”

  “Dork,” Wood coughs into his hand and Candy slaps his shoulder causing him to laugh.

  “No,” Declan says. “He’s right. Let’s do this shit and then have a little fun.”

  “Oh, baby boys, I’ve missed you,” mom coos in the window when she rushes the car before we can even get out. She pulls my body out of the
door and embraces me in a fierce hug. “You’ve been gone too long,” she says in my neck.

  Stepping back, her hands on both sides of my face, she pats me lightly. Giving one kiss on my cheek, she rushes to the other side of the car, doing the same to Wood.

  “She’s cute,” McKenna gushes as she crawls out of the backseat, her cheeks already turning red from the intense wind.

  Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I guide her to the front of the car where Wood’s standing with mom. Candy and Kai follow behind us.

  “Ma,” I say. “This is Kai, Candy and,” I drag my hand down McKenna’s arm and lock our hands, “this is McKenna.”

  Mom takes a big breath, a huge smile on her face, and fully looks at McKenna for the first time. For a slight moment, mom’s face grimaces, her eyes blinking rapidly. Air catches in her throat and her mouth opens. She falters. It happens within a second, and I’m the only one to see.

  “Darlin’ it’s so wonderful to finally meet you,” mom eventually greets, changing gears. “These boys keep going on and on about all of you.” She lightly slaps me in the stomach with the back of her hand and I chuckle.

  McKenna looks down at the ground, her cheeks turning the shade of pink that makes me want to pull her into my arms and kiss her. She’s so radiant without even trying.

  “It’s so great to finally meet you, Mrs. Wilder,” McKenna says.

  “Call me, Sarah,” mom insists. “Mrs. Wilder is Noah’s mom. I’m not that old.” She winks. “Yet.”

  “You’ll never be that old, mom,” Wood says, kissing the side of her head.

  McKenna smiles, laughing at my mom’s easy demeanor.

  Mom has always been that way. With everyone referring to my grandma as ‘Mrs. Wilder,’ she loathes the comparison. It doesn’t help that grandma is a moody old woman whose sole purpose is to complain and make mom’s life a living hell any time she decides to drop in from Texas—unannounced—most of the time. It grates mom’s nerves, and I don’t blame her. Grandma can be pretty callous when she wants to be. It’s as if she likes to fluster mom. Holidays and birthdays are always filled with drama and yelling. As a matter of fact, I don’t really know any different anymore. Is there any such thing as a family gathering without arguments?

  “The cellar’s ready for our…guest, so go on and get it done. I don’t like having that thing here.” Her eyes skirt to McKenna hastily, and then back on the group. “Can I get you all anything?”

  In a chorus of ‘no thank you,’ we turn to the trunk of The Sting, mom waving to us as she walks back into the house.

  Standing in a line, side-by-side, Kai, Candy, Wood, McKenna and myself stare at the unopened box, weary to go near it.

  “What are we waiting for?” Wood asks, though he’s hesitant, too.

  My eyebrows furrow, and McKenna draws her mouth in a straight line.

  “Your spell is good to get her into the house?” I double-check.

  “Yeah,” Kai says, his hands in fists at his side.

  “Okay, come on. Dad will be here soon.”

  Wood blows air out of his mouth and lays his hand on the hood as I pull my keys out and insert one into the keyhole.

  “Ready?” I ask everyone one last time.

  Candy nods, and Kai stands straighter. McKenna tucks a piece of hair behind her ear while Wood’s mouth twitches.

  When the trunk opens, Mrs. Carlson snarls her grotesque sneer at us but her eyes don’t open. All of us jerk backward, taken back by her, but breathe a sigh of relief when she lies back down.

  “She might be able to hear us which means the spell is wearing off,” says Kai. “We have an hour, maybe two before she wakes up completely.”

  Mrs. Carlson bares her teeth, again, biting at the air.

  “Christ, that’s weird,” I say, pulling her arms up and over the ledge of the trunk. “She doesn’t know we’re here?”

  Kai moves to her legs, taking one as Wood takes the other. “No. I sent her mind somewhere else. She thinks Maker ordered her to go find a man and bring him back to Beneath.”

  “Whoa. Insane,” Candy says, huffing when we pull the body out.

  “That’s Manifestation, dear,” Kai says with a grunt as he almost trips over the rocks in the yard.

  Mrs. Carlson is all dead weight as our feet shuffle along the dirt pathway. God, I’m thankful for living in the middle of nowhere. Living outside a lively city, miles in the forest has some perks. Going unnoticed is fairly easy when you live off the beaten path.

  Grasping Mrs. Carlson’s arms tighter, McKenna runs past us to the door on the side of the house, opening it for us.

  Walking down inside the cellar, the stairs screech underneath our feet. It smells faint of mold and wet dirt. This place is such a hole.

  We shuffle clumsily to the bottom, lugging the body to the middle of the room where there’s a permanent mouse trap on the ground.

  When we had moved here around the time I was ten, Dad poured concrete down here and etched a mouse trap in the wet. At the time I thought he was insane. I was still new to the life, he didn’t bring us into it until he thought we were old enough, but now that I’m older, it’s—kind of genius. Not that we get many monsters out here. It was mostly for protection in case a demon did follow us home.

  We drop the body on the ground, and I wipe the sweat from my head. “Okay, Kai said it’ll wake up in a bit. Wood, want to take first watch?”

  “I’ll stay, too,” Candy offers and Wood’s eyes narrow as if he’s not sure he wants to spend any time with her. I thought they were starting to get along. Maybe I was wrong.

  “Thanks, Candy,” I say, walking to McKenna. “We’ll be back in a little bit. I’m going to show McKenna around.”

  McKenna laces her hand in mine as I lead her upstairs and out of the cellar. When we’re outside, away from prying eyes, I take her into my arms, the frigid breeze slapping our faces. She shudders against me. “Welcome to my home, Mighty.”

  She smiles and melts into my embrace, inching toward my mouth. My hand skirts up her back to the base of her neck, tilting her face up toward me.

  “I’m so happy to be here, even under the circumstances. Think your mom liked me?”

  “I think so,” I say. Though her initial reaction causes me to wonder what’s really going on. I wouldn’t tell McKenna that, though. “She’s a tough cookie.”

  “I can see that,” McKenna says softly, laying her head on my chest.

  I pull away from her, moving my hand to the side of her face, zoning in on her lips. She sighs, closing her eyes.

  We haven’t had much alone time lately, and to say it’s weighing on us would be an understatement. People like to say sex isn’t a big deal in a relationship, that their bond is just as strong without it, but McKenna seems to be changing the game for me—whatever we are—that ever-burning kindling in my bones need her in that intimate way. Sharing the same air, the same space, living the same moments with the person you’d bet all your money on is something entirely new. It’s another level we connect on. Sex is my way of showing her the unwavering connection we’ve formed in such a small amount of time. It’s my way of telling her how I truly feel—words cannot do what I feel for this woman justice. Being denied the ability to show her how I really feel makes for rough times.

  Unlike me, she’s graceful about it.

  Her light, floral scent cascades over me, willing my body to move closer to her. Pull her as close as possible.

  When she opens her eyes, she seems content, relaxed.

  “Are you okay?” I ask. I’ve been so worried about her lately. “You’ve had a lot on your plate the past few weeks.”

  She sighs, but tightens her arms around my body. “I’m—okay? I don’t know. Everything has been so extreme. From meeting you to finding out something is going on with the Thayans and hybrids and now come to find out my parents are still out there…it’s—it would be almost too much if I didn’t have you.” She smiles. “And Candy and Wood and Kai.”
<
br />   “We’d do anything for you, you know that?” I say into her hair as I bring her into a hug.

  She breathes me in. “I know, and I’d do the same. I only hope I survive long enough to prove it.”

  “You will,” I say with conviction. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  She pulls back, her eyebrows knitted. “What if you don’t have a choice?”

  I take hold of her shoulders. “We always have a choice. You and I are living proof of it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I shake my head, letting my hands fall. “It’s nothing, but you have to remember who you are.”

  Her eyes narrow, a small smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. “Yeah, yeah. Badass witch and all that nonsense.”

  I laugh. “Exactly.” Bringing my lips to hers, so soft, I let them linger for a moment, letting her fall limply in my arms. The wind begins to rustle around us, as if we’re in a dust devil—our own makeshift tornado of emotion. The wind strokes our bodies, taking us prisoner. It pushes us closer together.

  The sounds of Wood and Kai talking loudly breaks us apart and the wind immediately stops, the rustle of air falling flaccidly to the ground and disappearing. She swallows, rosy cheeks and red lips, and I take her hand, leading her to the main house.

  The off-white house has always been a solace in my crazy world. Wood and I don’t really have a home. We’ve never been able to buy one of our own. I thought about it when I tried to go to college, but the job pulled me back in. I’ve had random spurts of want, but how can I take care of a home when I can barely keep myself well nourished? So, as lame as it seems, my parents’ house is what holds a very comforting feeling. Add McKenna, it might just be the most perfect place in the world.

  “I love the yellow shutters,” McKenna says, touching the bright wood outlining the windows.

  “Mom’s touch. It’s her favorite color.”

  McKenna smiles. “It suits her.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” I reach for the door handle.

  I let McKenna in first, closing the door behind us. She immediately walks to the wall of pictures mom has been adding to since we moved in almost twenty years ago.