Enchanting Wilder

by Cassie Graham

  With McKenna against me, she holds me tight around my torso, I stroke her back, twirling her hair in my hand.

  “I could stay like this forever, you know?” McKenna admits softly.

  I kiss the top of her head. “Me too, Mighty. Me too.”

  Mine. It’s such a simple word. Four letters, one syllable.

  Mine.

  But when Declan says it, it takes on a whole new meaning. A word so small, possesses so much more. His.

  “The dock around us is soaked, but the sun is out,” Declan says, shaking his head. “I could have sworn I heard the thunder earlier.”

  I shrug a shoulder, pulling on my jacket. “I didn’t hear it.” I wasn’t at all focused on the weather. A tornado could have hit and I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash.

  Declan stands on his feet, offering me his hand. “So weird.” He points to the quad at the end of the dock. “Look. The quad isn’t wet.”

  I stop short, looking at my surroundings. When I cast that spell, it was to surround us in an invisible bubble of warmth. I didn’t set off a storm. If I did, I didn’t mean to. Is that even possible?

  “It looks like it just rained on us. Or at least where we were had you not put up the barrier or whatever,” Declan says.

  My eyes narrow and I chew on my thumbnail. Is this normal? Maybe he does affect me in ways I can’t understand. It must just be our connection. He brings out intense feelings and it crosses with my magic.

  That has to be it…

  “McKenna!” Candy shouts in my head. I snap my eyes up thinking she’s standing in front of me, but there’s nothing but vast forest ahead.

  I close my eyes and chant an incantation that connects our minds. It’s like telepathy for witches. “Wie, sonar, potestar, audi, loquero.”

  “What’s wrong?” I ask Candy when I know she can hear me. Declan walks up to me, giving me a worried look.

  “What are you doing?” he mouths.

  I wink and focus on Candy.

  “It’s…Mrs. Carlson’s awake. You need to get back here.”

  “Okay. We’ll be right there. Everything all right?”

  Candy is quiet for a few seconds. “Just get here.”

  “Okay. See you soon,” I say, closing my eyes and cutting off our connection.

  “Mrs. Carlson is awake. We need to get back. Take my hand, I’ll get us there.”

  Declan kisses my cheek but walks to the quad. “We can’t Dissipate there, Mighty. We need to bring this back.”

  “Oh.” I shake my head. “Right.”

  He laughs and pulls me into a hug when I approach him. His grasp on me instantly soothes my troubled nerves. He must know how anxious I am.

  “You’ve ruined me, you know that?”

  Placing my hands on his upper arms, I smile. “Yeah? How so?”

  His mint-colored eyes look hard at me. “I’ll never get over you.”

  “I hope you won’t ever have to.”

  He’s the pictures in my once-empty photo album, boring and mundane. He’s the vibrant color, so fierce and memorable. One by one, he’s filling up my life with his presence, filling every blank space. Every smile, every wink, every touch is a mental picture taking up storage in my mind, bringing life back into my soul.

  “Come on,” he says, tugging me onto the quad. “Let’s go get some answers and find your parents.”

  My eyes mist a little and I wrap my arms around his warm, muscular body. “I’d always wondered why they hadn’t visited me after their death.”

  Declan starts the engine and he looks back to me, his eyebrows furrowed. “Is that normal? To see your dead parents?”

  I shrug a shoulder and lace my fingers together. “It’s not uncommon. When Strix leave this Earth suddenly, it’s pretty ordinary for them to find their loved ones to get closure. I just never got it.” I shake my head. “Maybe they really are alive. I don’t know—maybe I can allow myself to believe it.”

  Declan takes his hand off the accelerator and places it on my hands. “We’re going to find them and everything is going to be okay.”

  How does he know? I want to believe him, but there’s a nauseating sensation brewing in my gut. Something big is about to go down and I’m not sure the outcome.

  “Jesus, took you guys long enough,” Wood jokes as we make our way into the cellar.

  “Yeah,” Mrs. Carlson drags out the word. “We’ve missed you.”

  “Everything okay?” I rush to Candy.

  She shutters and nods. “Yeah. Wood thought it best to call you the second Mrs. Carlson woke up so we can get a move on with getting information.” She gives a disgusted look to Mrs. Carlson. “She wouldn’t shut up. We were all going a little mad listening to her talk.”

  Declan, body rigid and ready for battle, stands just outside the mouse trap. His arms crossed over his chest, he cocks his head. “Glad you’re awake, demon. We need to talk.”

  Mrs. Carlson rolls her eyes. “Oh goodie.”

  I stand off to the side next to Candy and watch as Wood moves next to Declan. Kai cautiously stands on the other side of the room, eyes expansive.

  “I want to ask about Maker,” I say cautiously, approaching the trap, taking initiative. “Or is that like saying Voldemort?”

  A smile tugs on Declan’s lips, but, before I know it, he’s immediately back to passive Declan.

  “Why would I tell you anything?” Mrs. Carlson spits. “You’re going to kill me anyway.”

  “True,” Wood and Declan say at the same time and we all look at each other. They do that a lot.

  Arms crossed over his chest, Declan’s posture sturdy, he offers, “Care to make a deal?”

  Mrs. Carlson’s head tilts with suspicious eyes. “There’s no deal to be made.”

  Wood clears his throat and the Adam’s apple in Declan’s throat bobs. “How about I let you go?” Declan asks and my heart thumps unsteadily. “Give us information and you’re free to walk.”

  Just like that? My eyes move to Declan. I can’t imagine him allowing her walk out of here. Would he do that? I turn to Kai, and he’s got a worried expression and his eyebrows are crinkled in uneasiness.

  “You’re going to let me go?” Mrs. Carlson asks, clearly confused at Declan’s one-eighty.

  His mouth turns down. “Sure. It’ll be more of death sentence anyway, right? Maker will know you told us information.”

  “Maker will do the dirty job for us?” Wood inquires, his eyebrow quirking. “I can get on board with that.”

  Mrs. Carlson’s cheeks redden and she breathes deep. “Fine,” she agrees. “I can run long enough to dodge Maker’s grasp.”

  Declan gives a curt nod and looks to me. My nose flares and I’m hesitant to go any farther. “What can you tell us about Maker?” I finally say.

  Kai has always been so hesitant to tell us anything. I don’t know if that’s because he doesn’t know anything, or because even though he doesn’t want to admit it, he’s still loyal. Either way, he’s helped us so much, we haven’t really berated him about it.

  Mrs. Carlson breathes in, her face red from travel and being spelled with intense magic. She sighs. “What do you want to know?”

  I don’t hesitate. “Is Maker gearing up for a fight?”

  “Yes,” Mrs. Carlson answers without a second thought.

  “Why?”

  “That’s a loaded question. All of the pieces have to fit in place before anything can happen, though.”

  “What kind of pieces?” Kai asks. “And, how do you know all of this?”

  Mrs. Carlson smiles, but it’s tainted with the blood in her teeth and the bruises on her face. “You aren’t the pet anymore, Kai. She sensed you were playing both sides. Turns out she wasn’t wrong.”

  “You keep saying ‘she,’ is Maker a woman?” Declan theorizes, walking along the outer edge of the trap. His heavy boots clunk on the concrete.

  I was wondering the same thing. Kai referred to their Maker as a He before.

  Mrs. C
arlson swallows, sitting upright with her legs crossed. “I’ve always thought she had a strong woman-like quality.”

  “So, you don’t know for sure?” Wood clarifies.

  “No.” She gives him a hard stare. “No one knows.”

  “What pieces need to fall into place?” Kai asks for clarification again.

  The demon picks at its nails. “Truths have to come out. People need to be brought into the light. The puzzle is already half made.”

  “And we’re somehow part of it?” I ask, stepping closer.

  “You and Declan, yes.”

  “Declan?”

  “Me?”

  Mrs. Carlson looks up. “Haven’t you ever wondered why you’re so attached to McKenna?” It sneers with arrogance. How would it know that?

  The door to the cellar clanks intrusively against the concrete wall and someone with an even heavier step walks down the stairs. We all turn to see, the interruption taking us all by surprise.

  A man, a spitting image of Wood, steps down hard on each weathered stair with precision. Almost as if every movement is well thought out…taken into consideration. All broad shouldered and muscled arms, the man squints as his brown eyes look around the room. First, lips pursed, he notices Kai, who sits staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. His eyes travel to Declan and Wood next, both look to one another, I think cautious to move. Last, his eyes land on Candy and I. His expression stagnant as he takes in Candy, but when his eyes study me, they immediately widen. He swallows and looks away.

  He clears his throat. “Boys,” he greets Declan and Wood, walking to them, embracing them in a mammoth hug. “It’s good to see you.”

  Declan and Wood grunt when, whom I assume is Mr. Wilder, pulls them together.

  “Glad you got in okay, dad,” Declan says, slapping him on the shoulder.

  Wood smiles, shoving his hands into his pocket. “How did it go?”

  I step back, the feeling of intrusion blanketing me. Candy and Kai do the same, retreating.

  “It went fine. Your uncle and cousins got called to New York a week ago and took out a few Lotus. So we only had about five to take out in California.”

  “Five?” Wood asks. “Jesus.”

  “Yawn,” Mrs. Carlson says, but everyone ignores her.

  Mr. Wilder shrugs as if fighting five gods isn’t completely insane. “Wasn’t too bad. A couple of our brother Pursuers came to help. Actually there were more than enough of us.”

  “So, no issues? They’ve all been put down,” Declan confirms.

  “Oh, for about the next century or so. They’ll pop up again. Someone else will take care of it by then.”

  All of the men laugh and, again, Mr. Wilder turns his eyes in my direction. “You must be McKenna.” He walks in quick steps, offering to shake my hand.

  I stutter. Up close, he looks downright lethal. You can tell, even under all of his clothes, he’s a strong, sturdy man, easily capable of taking down anything he sets his mind on. “Hi, sir, it’s wonderful to meet you.”

  He holds my hand for long moments, not letting go. Declan comes up behind his father with a grin on his face, clearly happy to have us meeting.

  “And this is Candy,” Declan offers, motioning next to me. “McKenna’s sister.”

  Candy smiles timidly. “Good to be here, sir.”

  “You must have good parents,” Mr. Wilder drawls, “but no need to call me sir. Noah is just fine.”

  I laugh, looking down. “They were…are pretty great.”

  Declan steps up as Noah gives me puzzled look after my were/are comment. “Uh, dad, it turns out McKenna and Candy’s parents might still be alive.”

  “That’s what it said?” Noah points to Mrs. Carlson with a look of disdain.

  “Yeah.” Declan scratches the back of his head.

  “She just woke up,” Wood informs Noah. “We were talking when you walked in.”

  “And that’s Kai?” Noah asks.

  Kai’s feet shuffle as he makes his way to us, his eyes bulged in uneasiness. He’s a demon after all, and Noah’s sole mission is to kill each and every one of them. I’d be more than a little nervous to get within arm’s length of him, too.

  “Uh—nice to meet you, sir. Uh—Noah, I mean.” Kai’s hands twiddle in front of him awkwardly.

  “You can call me, Mr. Wilder or sir,” Noah says with repugnance in his voice. “Don’t fuck this up, got it?”

  Kai reels back. “Yes…yes, sir. I’m on your side.”

  With a confrontational stance, Noah doesn’t waver. “Good. Let’s get to work.”

  The entire room takes a deep breath and we move to the outside of the mouse trap.

  Mrs. Carlson hisses at Noah and the smirk he has plastered on his lips lets me know he’s something to be feared. You can see in his eyes the level of his lethality.

  “Enough with the bullshit. What’s the plan?”

  I move close to Declan, whispering in his ear, “Does your dad know what’s going on? With my parents and Maker, I mean.”

  His eyes don’t move from Mrs. Carlson on the ground and he nods. “I told him a few days ago when he finally answered his damn phone.”

  “Okay,” I say, stepping back and away quietly.

  “It’s a war, you idiot,” Mrs. Carlson spats.

  “I know that already, but what’s the end game?”

  Mrs. Carlson gives Noah a repulsed stare. “Why would I tell you?”

  “Because I have ways of getting you to talk.”

  “Step in the mouse trap, old man. We’ll have some real fun.”

  Noah sneers, taking his knife out of his pocket, popping it open, and picking his fingernails with it. How something so simple can look so terrifying, I’ll never know.

  “We’ll choose torture,” Declan boasts with a sly smirk.

  Wood elbows him in an encouraging gesture.

  Mrs. Carlson’s nose flares.

  “So what’ll it be?” Noah asks, his tone suggesting he could go either way. I’m sure he’d love the torture, though. He just seems like that kind of guy. The knife play doesn’t help either.

  On the fence, Mrs. Carlson’s demon side fighting to be heard, rolls her eyes. “I’d rather not prolong the inevitable. I just want out of here.”

  Noah gives Declan an odd look and Declan winks. Sighing heavily, Noah turns back to Mrs. Carlson. “Good choice.”

  “Is it the spell?” Candy whispers into Kai’s ear loud enough for me to hear. “Is that why she’s more likely to help?”

  He shrugs. “That and her humanity is crawling out of the trenches. She wants to be bad, but also feels the annoying need to be good. She knows how it’ll end, so her demon instincts are taking a backseat at the moment. Plus, she wants to leave here. Bad. I don’t think she’s rational at the moment.”

  Candy nods and crosses her arms over her chest. Wood side-eyes her unenthusiastically.

  Noah scratches his chin, his beard a dark brown color like his cold eyes. “Maker wants a war. Why?”

  “Is there any other reason to go to war?” Mrs. Carlson laughs. “For power. She wants to rule.”

  “The world?” God, I sound so naïve.

  “The world, Beneath, Heaven. All of it.”

  “Heaven?” Noah coughs and clears his throat. “That’s not possible.”

  “Oh? But it is. Our army has grown quite a bit since the last time.”

  My eyes narrow and our heads whip to Noah. He doesn’t respond. What the hell is happening?

  “How much has it grown?”

  “We’ve grown triple in size. Maybe more.”

  Noah laughs. “We outnumber you tenfold still.”

  “You know that won’t matter when they find out.”

  “It’s not going to happen. All the information in the world won’t change the outcome. You know her heart,” Noah boasts convincingly.

  “Not anymore, it’s been tainted.” Mrs. Carlson’s mouth turns down in a disgusted manner.

  “So
me would disagree,” Noah gloats.

  Who? What are they talking about? Who are they talking about?

  “Dad, what’s going on?” Declan finally asks.

  “Later,” Noah snaps and returns his eyes to Mrs. Carlson. “Why does it matter if she knows or not? She’s already proven herself more times than we could have asked for.”

  “All it takes is one flip of the switch, and BAM. Done.”

  Noah shakes his head, stuffing his knife back in his jacket pocket. “No. We’ve been under close watch for years. Her heart is pure.”

  “Maybe now, but a heart could be easily changed.”

  “Shut up, demon,” Noah warns.

  “I’m just telling you what you don’t want to hear. You know what I’m saying is true.”

  “We will see.”

  “And the boy?” Mrs. Carlson quirks an eyebrow. “Will you tell him? It’s getting out of hand now. He should have known a decade ago.”

  Noah turns away, rubbing between his eyes. “This is pointless.”

  “What’s she talking about, dad?” Declan asks again, his voice trembling.

  “Son,” Noah says carefully, turning to look at him. “Now is not the time.”

  “Why?” he challenges, getting close to his face. “Dad, does he know you? Do you know him?”

  “Dad,” Wood warns.

  Heart thrashing in my chest, both scared and uneasy, my flight or fight instinct is about to take over.

  “Oo, the drama of it all,” Mrs. Carlson taunts. “Would you like me to tell him, Noah?”

  Noah reaches for a blade in his jacket pocket, moving quickly to the trap.

  The room goes dead silent and then everything happens at once. Noah rushes Mrs. Carlson. Declan grabs Noah’s arm. Wood stands between Declan and Noah as if some sort of barrier. Candy rushes to me, and Kai stands alone outside the mouse trap on high alert, his eyes wide.

  Dripping sounds off in the distance distract me for a short second while the wind howls through the wooden door above the stairs.

  Noah thrashes against Declan, pulling out of his grasp. We all inhale when Noah steps into the mouse trap.

  “Dad, stop,” Wood says.

  Sweat breaks out on Declan’s forehead, the tiny beads shining in the dull light. His hands tremble as he watches his dad stomp with certainty to the demon.