Seeds of Autumn: A Dark Shapeshifter Urban Fantasy (Echoes of the Past Book 1)

by H B Lyne

  Ariana pulled her invitation out of her clutch as they approached the bar and smoothed out the crease from where it had been folded in two. They squeezed past the persistent girls and she showed the invitation to the polite bouncer. He gave them a brief nod before admitting them. Rhys's lack of costume didn't raise so much as an eyebrow, perhaps because he was as big as either of the bouncers. Or perhaps Ariana's costume got them both past the rope.

  Music blasted out as the bouncer opened the door and Ariana led the way into the bar. She rolled her eyes in apology back at Rhys when she recognised the cheesy music.

  'Ben is, well, he's not afraid of clichés,' she called over the thumping bass. Rhys grinned at her and bent low to speak into her ear.

  'I don't mind a bit.'

  Inside was hot and dark, red and orange paper lanterns were strung across the ceiling and ornately carved pumpkins were displayed on almost every available surface. Not the typical toothy grinning faces of Ariana's childhood, but expertly carved spiders, headless-horsemen and witches glowed in the darkness.

  Low sofas and tables filled the two large windows and all seats were filled by people in outrageous costumes. A woman walked past wearing only a leather thong and a small cross of black tape over each nipple, Ariana couldn't help but stare.

  Rhys nudged her towards the bar at the back of the building, his eyes firmly on Ariana.

  The couple moved through the bustling bar. There was a small stage off to the right of the bar area, with a small dance floor in front of it. A DJ stood behind decks at the back of the stage, while caged dancers flaunted their bodies to the pounding music and a man in a devil costume juggled fire at the front.

  Ariana spotted Ben sat on a tall stool at the bar, surrounded by a small cluster of people but he shooed them away with a flick of a hand when his eyes locked onto Ariana. Ben was dressed in a sharp suit with a vibrant red shirt undone almost half way down his chest, reminiscent of a young John Travolta.

  'Well hello gorgeous!' Ben called, hopping down from his stool, his arms open to embrace Ariana. She grinned and moved in to give him a hug but at the last second he swerved to avoid her, his eyes fixed firmly on Rhys. 'Not you, darling. Him.'

  Ariana laughed. Ben passed for straight easily when sober, but after a few drinks his inner queen came out to play.

  'Ben, this is Rhys,' she introduced them and smirked as Ben made no attempt to disguise his admiration. 'He is straight,' she added pointedly and glanced at Rhys for confirmation.

  He gave a slight nod just for her and placed his hand on the small of her back under her fairy wings as he shook Ben's hand. A tingle ran up her spine.

  'Fine,' Ben grumbled. 'I'm spoken for anyway.'

  'How does your costume fit the brief of sexy scary?' Ariana asked, raising one eyebrow.

  'The 70's scare the hell out of me!' Ben cried and his laugh rang out above the din of the music.

  'What do you do, Ben?' asked Rhys as a round of drinks appeared on the bar before them.

  'Ugh, I work at the city council's Environment and Planning office. Boring,' Ben replied, looking around a little anxiously.

  'Oh, I assumed you owned this place or something.' Rhys gestured to their surroundings.

  'No, no. Ben's boyfriend, Marcus, is in PR. He throws the best parties,' Ariana supplied, grinning at her friend.

  'Where has he got to any way?' Ben was still distractedly looking around. 'Excuse me. Here,' he thrust a stack of tickets at Ariana. 'Drinks tokens. Have fun, I'll catch up with you later.'

  Ariana watched him dash off to hunt down his beloved then gave Rhys an apologetic smile.

  'He's,' she searched for the right word.

  'Very impulsive?' Rhys suggested and they both laughed.

  The evening passed quickly in a blur of cocktails and loud music. Ariana saw old friends and enjoyed introducing Rhys around. He joined in with enthusiasm and didn't seem to mind being interrogated by her nearest and dearest as they endeavoured to confirm that he was good enough for her.

  It was past midnight before Ariana caught sight of Ben again, he had found Marcus, who was clad in red hot pants, matching feather boa and devil's horns. The two of them were dancing at the heart of the dance floor, surrounded by friends and admirers. She joined them, leaving Rhys at the mercy of some friends and danced until she could hardly breathe.

  Red-faced and thirsty, Ariana returned to Rhys and he quickly supplied her with water.

  'Hmm, looks like I should be getting you home,' he sighed as she slumped sideways into him, a tired smile filling her face.

  Ariana said her goodbyes to everyone and the couple left the heat and noise of the bar, stepping out into the cold October night. Ariana shivered and clutched her arms, cursing herself for not bringing a coat. Rhys cast a nervous glance up and down the busy street, which was filled with people abandoning their revelries, or moving them on elsewhere. He removed his jacket and took Ariana's wings off her back. He wrapped his jacket over her shoulders, carried her wings and took her hand in his.

  Ariana smiled up at him, thankful for the gesture and caught sight of the bright moon low in the sky over his shoulder.

  'Oh look. It's a full moon, on Halloween. How spooky,' she giggled.

  Rhys turned to glance at it and gave a little shrug.

  'It's actually full tomorrow.'

  Ariana frowned at him, it looked full to her, but a prickle at her senses told her he was right. Something cut through her slightly intoxicated haze, a memory, a perception that had lain dormant for a while. She tried to shrug it off, but it tugged hard at her mind and as they walked in silence towards his car she felt eyes on them.

  Rhys seemed to sense it too and gently urged her to walk faster. By the time they reached the car the feeling had passed and Ariana quickly forgot it.

  They drove in easy silence back to St. Mark's. Rhys helped her from the car and walked her to her door.

  At her front doorstep she paused, hoping that he was going to kiss her. While she hesitated, he reached out and gently swept her hair back off her face, tucking it neatly behind her ear. She felt her face flush with the heat of his touch and she cast her eyes down.

  He stepped closer and caressed her cheek with his thumb, his fingers still entwined in her hair. He was so warm and so close, she could feel his breath on her face. She looked into his dark eyes and surrendered to what she knew was coming.

  Their lips met and brushed together gently. Ariana's heart was racing and she could feel his thumping madly in his chest too. The heat building inside flared uncontrollably and she deepened the kiss. He reciprocated and their kiss became frenzied and passionate; their bodies pressed together and his hands held her firmly against him.

  Finally he released her, softening the kiss again before pulling back. She took a deep, shuddering breath and let out a small, nervous laugh.

  'Wow,' she whispered to herself and he chuckled in response. 'Would you like to come in?' she asked, her heart pounding.

  Rhys pulled back a bit and groaned with frustration.

  'I would really, really love to, but I have to be at work at 7am. I'm sorry.' He gently tipped her chin up and looked deep into her eyes. 'Next time though.'

  He leaned in for another smouldering kiss and Ariana tried not to let the disappointment interfere with the goodbye kiss, which was almost as intense and passionate as the first one. Ariana felt heat in all the right places and it was with deep regret that she let him end the kiss and step away from her door.

  'Next time,' she whispered. Ariana handed him his jacket and he went, reluctantly, back to his car. She waved as he set off and went up to her flat feeling both elated and frustrated.

  Chapter Three

  1st November

  The moon hung low in the sky, full and bright. Ariana was perched on a rooftop, watching clouds skidding across the beautiful moon that bathed her in soothing light. The night was almost silent and she felt at peace. An itch tickled at her ear and she raised a paw, licked it and rub
bed it over her head, ear and whiskers, just like a cat.

  Ariana woke with a start and looked urgently at her hands. Hands, they were hands. With a frustrated sigh she dropped them back onto the bed. She was too awake to go straight back to sleep and with resignation she got out of bed to fetch a drink. As she stood at the kitchen sink she noticed a man standing in the street outside. He was leaning against the wall opposite, his hands wedged into the deep pockets of a baggy old army jacket. The hood was up, hiding his face from sight. She looked at the digital display on her microwave, it was just after 4am. Looking again at the shadowy figure outside, a chill went through her.

  Ariana moved cautiously back to her bedroom and went to the window there, she looked down and watched him for a few minutes. He hardly moved a muscle, just stood there letting the rain pour down over his coat. Fatigue dragged her back to her bed and she slept restlessly until the dull light of dawn crept in through the bare curtains and a familiar tone from her phone roused her. Ariana picked up her phone and opened the new message.

  Are we still meeting for coffee? Ben xx

  Ariana smiled, glad to be reminded of her plans for the day. The memory of her strange dream and the haunting figure in the street came upon her and she looked out of her window. He was still there. Unnerved, she distracted herself with responding to her friend.

  How are you up so early?! I'll see you later xx

  Ariana showered off the glitter and remnants of make up from the party, her mind running over the fun she had had and lingering longingly on the kiss she shared with Rhys.

  She dressed and ate breakfast, trying to focus on happy thoughts, rather than the creepy stranger still standing outside her house. Each time she passed a window she took note of him. Sometimes he was looking up and down the street, at others his gaze was fixed on the entrance to her building. Just after 9am Ariana saw him push away from the wall on which he had been leaning for so long and walk casually away up the street.

  'Creepy guy,' she muttered under her breath.

  When it was time, she picked up her coat and set off to meet Ben in the city centre, again regretting her lack of umbrella. She jogged to the nearby bus stop and took shelter there with a handful of people. No one spoke. St. Mark's was not some leafy suburb where strangers made cheerful small talk, it was a risk to make eye contact with anyone here and as everyone pressed forward to greet the arriving bus, Ariana wondered, not for the first time since moving to Caerton, if any of the people around her were armed.

  As she took a seat on the busy bus, the hooded figure from outside her flat walked past her to take a seat near the back. A sudden breath caught in her throat and she tried to hide it, her whole body tensed up. She liked to think she had good instincts and a knack for noticing things, but his presence on the same bus had blind sided her completely.

  Her heart hammered in her chest and a lump sat uncomfortably in her throat. Caerton city centre could not approach quickly enough and Ariana rang the bell and moved up to the front of the bus just before her stop. When she demounted and set off walking again she glanced back and sure enough, her new best friend followed her off the bus and walked behind her through the city centre. The bustle of the city was not enough to shake him, and as she approached her destination she was close to turning and confronting her stalker. The presence of innocent passers by who could easily get hurt in a physical altercation was just enough to make her quicken her step instead.

  Ben was sat in the café window and waved as she approached. She tried to grin back at him, but faltered. She squeezed her way through the crowded café to Ben's table.

  Ariana took off her coat and slung it on the back of her chair. Sitting down, she looked anxiously out of the window and saw that her hooded follower had sat down on the steps of the shopping centre across the broad road, traffic sloshing by between them. People rushed past him, eager to get out of the rain and cast him incredulous looks as they passed.

  'I ordered your usual,' Ben said quietly, drawing her attention. 'Is everything okay?'

  Ariana shrugged. A waitress brought their coffees over and Ben thanked her.

  'You look rough,' they both spoke at once and then cracked up laughing.

  'It was a great party,' Ariana said. 'Marcus pulled it off once again.'

  'He does that,' Ben said, grinning.

  'How's work?' she asked, sipping her cappuccino.

  'Busy,' Ben groaned. 'Maybe I've taken too much on. There's this big new project, but same old story, I can't actually tell you about it. Sorry,' he said, sipping his coffee. 'But between you and me, it is about bloody time, it is ridiculous that Caerton doesn't already have one,' he teased, but Ariana was too distracted to bite.

  Her eyes moved back to the hooded figure on the steps opposite and she chewed her lip.

  'Everything okay? You keep looking at that guy,' Ben asked, a frown etched deep into his forehead.

  'Yeah, fine,' Ariana waved her hand in the air dismissively. He looked at her disbelievingly. 'It's nothing,' she insisted but he raised his eyebrows at her. 'Look, don't overreact, but he's been following me.'

  'What?' he hissed, glaring over at the guy and half getting to his feet. Ariana pressed her hand on his arm and looked around, checking that they weren't drawing anyone's attention.

  'Sit down. If I thought there was anything to it, I'd take care of it myself. Like you could do better than me in a physical confrontation,' Ariana snorted with laughter and Ben joined in.

  'No I suppose not. Weird though, creepy hooded stalker, Ariana hon. Be careful.'

  Ariana shrugged off his worries and tried desperately to keep her eyes away from the stranger.

  'What did you think of Rhys?' She promptly changed the subject.

  'Oh my, your boyfriend is just delicious.'

  'Boyfriend might be a stretch at this stage, we only just started seeing each other.' Ariana's blood rushed to her face as she remembered the passionate kiss on her doorstep.

  'What? What happened?' Ben gasped, seeing her face go red.

  Ariana hid a big grin behind her hand and shook her head.

  'Nope, I'm not kissing and telling.' She laughed and Ben's mouth dropped open.

  'Oh I bet he is a fantastic kisser.'

  Ariana gave a non-committal jerk of her head. Rhys had made her dizzy when he kissed her, but she wasn't going to give away the juicy details, even to her best friend. She wasn't usually the kind of person to go into such details about her love life.

  They drank their coffees and chatted aimlessly for the rest of Ben's lunch break. Ariana tried to forget about the hooded figure across the street, but she felt his eyes on her and it made her extremely uncomfortable.

  Ariana left for work, parting from Ben with a brief hug. As she walked away, she glanced back to see her new friend crossing the road and falling into step behind her.

  Somewhere between the city centre and the dojo in St. Mark's, the stranger stopped tailing her, but it was little comfort. Throughout her classes that afternoon and into the evening she felt uneasy and as she left work late in the evening she cast furtive glances into the black sky, knowing that the full moon shone somewhere behind the clouds.

  5th November

  Ariana huddled with Ben on the edge of Redfield Park. A thick coat and gloves providing inadequate protection against the bitter November night but at least it wasn't raining.

  A huge bonfire raged in the centre of the park and overhead brightly coloured flashes filled the sky, accompanied by booming explosions. Children ran past with sparklers and little stalls lined the field selling toffee apples and candy floss.

  Ben “oohed” and “ahhed” appreciatively beside Ariana, a big grin lighting his face, but Ariana was finding it difficult to get into the spirit of the occasion. She could feel eyes upon her, more than one pair. She hadn't seen the hooded figure for days and was just beginning to feel comfortable in her skin again, but now she sensed him nearby. She knew it was him, though she couldn't see him in the dark and
crowded park.

  Somehow she knew he had friends with him and she tried to convince herself that it was a coincidence, he was here enjoying the festivities, just like all of her neighbours in St. Mark's and Redfield. But try as she might, she couldn't make herself believe it.

  The firework display came to a glittering end and gradually the crowd began to disperse. Ariana stuck close to Ben, her heart was racing as they moved towards the trees that lined the park.

  'That was so much fun.' Ben beamed at her, linking his arm through hers.

  'Yeah.' She tried to smile back and shake off the feeling that someone was walking close behind them. There were hundreds of people moving away from the park. You're being paranoid. She told herself.

  Ariana glanced over her shoulder towards the bonfire, still burning brightly with stragglers gathered around it. The faces of people walking behind them were all hidden in shadow, the blazing fire at their backs.

  Ariana and Ben walked briskly away from the park and headed south towards St. Mark's. The streets became quieter as the crowds dispersed and went their separate ways.

  Somewhere to the south another public firework display was still in full swing and the loud explosions echoed across the city. Each one made Ariana's heart leap into her throat but she fought her fears and tried to respond to Ben's cheerful babble by her side. Other smaller, private fireworks displays popped and crackled behind fences and walls that they passed and the air was thick with smoke and the smell of gunpowder.

  Each step they took brought them closer to Ben's flat and Ariana looked around cautiously all the way. She saw no signs of being followed and by the time they reached his home she felt almost at ease.

  'Will you be okay walking home on your own?' Ben asked at his door, his face full of concern.

  'I'll be fine,' she said, trying to convince herself as much as him. 'I think I can take care of myself.' She smiled and gave his arm a playful punch.

  He drew her into a warm hug, Ariana hugged him back, a little reluctant to let go and go on her way. Ben was the one to release her and she stepped away from him with a heavy sigh.