The Enchanted Crossroads

by Dora Blume

  “Are you daft?” Haskell blew out a frustrated breath. “You’d risk your neck for a job?”

  “Yes, I like my job. You have no idea how hard I’ve worked, so don’t give me that.” I pushed away from the counter and headed to my temporary room. I could hear Haskell telling Leif that I was “a fecking lunatic.” I didn’t care. I needed to go to my house. I needed to get back to my life.

  I’m not sure exactly what I went to get from this room. It wasn’t mine and I hadn’t gotten the chance to bring anything with me. It was just nice to have a space to go to when I didn’t want to be with them. They didn’t understand what I’d given up for my job. The only person I knew, who’d understood, was my mom. Maybe I needed to take a trip to see her. Maybe she could put some pieces of my past together. It’d be nice to know if she knew about me having a power. Why would she keep it from me? My mom had been the one person who was always honest with me, even if I didn’t want to hear what she had to say. There’s no way she could have known about this.

  A light knock sounded on the door. I plopped down on the edge of the bed. “Come in.”

  “Hey, are you okay?” Leif asked, concern brimming in his eyes.

  “Yeah, I’m just overwhelmed. I need some semblance of my life back. I have a big meeting on Monday. I’ve been working tirelessly to get new regulations on specific opioid drugs. There’s no one else who could take over for me on such short notice. It’s a big deal for me to have gotten as far as I have in a short time. My mom’s an ER nurse. She sees the devastation being caused by these drugs. My boss gave me a chance to work on it since he knows my passion for the project. I can’t let them down.” I dropped my head, realizing I was rambling on too fast. Sometimes I talked fast when I got nervous.

  He took a few steps toward me and sat on the bed. “I know this is all overwhelming. I promise I will help you figure it all out. I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m here if you need me.” He said, his voice filled with the softness.

  I sighed, “Thank you for everything. You could have just left me in my apartment, but you didn’t. You saved my life, and I’m not sure I thanked you for it.” I lifted my eyes to meet his. I wanted to cry. So much had changed in such a short time. I swallowed hard. I was strong. I wasn’t someone who cried in front of people. I hardly ever cried in front of my friends. I needed to get it together. Especially if I was about to go to my house. Who knows what would happen to us there.

  He reached out and took my hand. His hands were surprisingly soft in mine. He squeezed. When he did, I felt tingles spread through my body and butterflies planted in my stomach. I didn’t even know Leif and he was making me feel like a schoolgirl. We sat there in peace for a few moments. Something was bothering me though, and I knew I shouldn’t ask.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I looked over and met his hazel eyes.

  “Shoot,” he gave me a quizzical look. .

  “Why are you helping me? I know you just happened to be my Lyft driver the other night, but why are you continuing to help me?” His eyes widened.

  “Maybe I just love to help the damsel in distress.” He arched a brow as he continued to look at me.

  “I’m serious, Leif. Why are you helping me?” I squeezed his hand and he slipped his out of mine. He rubbed his face with both of his hands before letting out a frustrated breath.

  “Maybe I just know what it’s like to feel alone in the world. How one moment your life is filled with family and love, and the next you’re alone wondering what the hell went wrong.” He swept his hair back from his forehead in one swoop. I admired his long dark locks as the subtle waves fell back into place.

  “Your parents?” My voice was soft as I spoke. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories. I needed to know why he was helping me. If he was only helping me to be a nice guy, his help would run out. I didn’t know how long he would protect me. I needed to get some answers, and I needed his help to get them.

  “Yeah, my parents were killed by Morrigan enforcers.” His voice dropped as he spoke and I could still hear the raw emotion beneath his words. “It was Valentine’s day. They’d just finished having dinner at Cossetta’s and were walking down the streets in St. Paul. It was an uncharacteristically warm day in Minnesota, so they had decided to go for a walk. There were at least three of them. I’m not entirely sure what happened when they were ambushed. I only saw the aftermath. My mom’s power wasn’t offensive. She could hear people’s thoughts. My father had the power of telekinesis like I do. The only reason I can think of for why they lost was that they were outnumbered or were taken by surprise. My parents were excellent fighters. They taught me everything I know. I have no idea how anyone was able to overtake them that night.”

  He dropped his head. After a moment of silence, he raked his hand through his hair. “Are you ready to face whatever is waiting for you at your house? The stakes we’re up against aren’t something to be taken lightly. One wrong assumption can cost you your life. Are you really willing to risk it for your job?” His eyes fixed on me and I swallowed hard.

  After hearing about his parents, it was hard to justify going to my house for work. Yet, my job involved saving lives, too. How many countless people would die if opioid drugs aren’t regulated better. It wasn’t the same, but it was still important to me.

  “I have to go. I know you may not understand, but it’s not just about losing my job. I’m helping people, too. It’s in a different way, but it’s still important.” I dropped my head. I needed his help. I didn’t want to see him judge me as all the other guys in my life had. I know I’m a workaholic, but no one ever understands why I work so hard. I like helping people. After all the nights of seeing my mom come home from the ER after a hard shift, knowing that people were out there dying, I had to do something to help them.

  “Okay, let’s go then.”

  I snapped my head up to look at him. His eyes weren’t filled with judgment, but something else. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but it calmed me. I took a deep breath.

  “Thank you.” I breathed.

  “Come on, I don’t want to meet any Morrigans in the dark. I’m sure they have the place staked out, but they can’t gain as much energy during the day so many won’t attack until after nightfall.” He stood and held his hand out for me. I slipped mine in his and he pulled me up from the bed in one quick swoop. I wasn’t expecting it and I stumbled forward. When I almost collided with him, he held his hands out to catch me. “Whoa there.”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that.” I looked down. He pinched my chin.

  “Stop looking down, the world is up here.” He raised my chin until I met his eyes.

  “Oh yeah? In your eyes?” I smirked at him.

  He laughed, “Not exactly what I was thinking, but sure, why not?” He smirked and tugged lightly on my hand. I followed behind him out of the room. “I just need to grab a few things downstairs. I’ll be back in one sec.” He hurried toward the back of the house.

  I wandered out into the sitting room. His house seemed like a memorial to his parents. It didn’t look like he’d changed anything since their death. I shivered at the thought. I couldn’t imagine losing both parents in one night and my heart ached for him.

  When he told me, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him. No one should have to go through that, especially not alone. Which was confusing, I know he mentioned having a sister. Plus, Haskell lives here. He mentioned how sages were assigned to their charges at a young age.

  So, if Leif did have all these people around him, why did he feel so alone? She could tell by the look in his eyes when he was telling her, the feeling hadn’t gone away. She could see the loneliness by the slight glimpse of hollowness in his eyes when he explained why he had helped her. She wasn’t sure why he had shared such a personal story with her. They’d only just met.

  She heard his footfalls coming up behind her. She tried to wipe her thoughts from her face. He stopped when he looked at her. “What’s wrong?
” he asked.

  I’ve never had a good poker face. “Nothing, I was just thinking.”

  “What about?” he cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing me.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Don’t do that. I feel self-conscious when you do that.”

  “Do what?” His expression changed to one of amusement.

  “Study me like that. I feel like I’m a fly under a magnifying glass when you look at me like that.” I took a deep breath. “Are you ready to go?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.” He smirked and walked out into the garage. He stopped by the passenger door and held it open for me.

  “Wow, quite the gentleman?” I smiled and slid into the seat.

  “I do what I can. Men get a bad rap these days. Someone has to change perceptions.” He winked and closed my door.

  When he got in on the other side, I spoke. “So, you decided to be the one changing those perceptions while also saving the world from evil.”

  “Someone’s gotta do it. I did say I have a thing for damsels.” He winked.

  “I thought you said you have a thing for damsels in distress?”

  “Those too,” he smiled and it lit up his face.

  CHAPTER 5

  Leif pulled up to the front of my building and parked. I took a deep breath before I reached for the handle and got out of the car. I know Leif said Morrigans don’t often attack during the day, but I was still sweating buckets. What if the guy was still waiting in my apartment for me? What if he’d called in help from others? I had no idea what to expect or what these Morrigan’s powers were. I only knew they were deadly, and that was enough. I realized I stood frozen staring at my building. Leif had cleared his throat drawing my attention back to the present. He walked around the car and took my hand.

  He bent next to my ear and whispered, “Stay in the present. If you drift off, you may not see them coming. Stay alert.” His breath scorched across my neck as he spoke his warning. I nodded and squeezed his hand.

  “Do you think anyone’s here?” I asked, my voice low and guarded.

  “I doubt they’d be here during the day, but I wouldn’t put anything past them. It’d be helpful if we knew why they were targeting you specifically. I know you’re new to the craft, but it’s still odd one was waiting here for you. It makes me wonder a few things. Stay sharp, either way they’ll be looking.”

  We crossed the street, my hand still in his. I liked touching him. It made me feel safe. It also did things to my stomach. I wasn’t sure if the butterflies were from the fear of walking in on another Morrigan or the hand clutching mine. I had to get my head in the game. If one of the Morrigans were in my apartment, I may need to channel my emotions of anger to light their asses up. I wondered for a moment if I could actually do that.

  A smile curved my lips and Leif looked back at me, a quizzical look on his face. I didn’t want to tell him I was wondering if I could light a man on fire. That wasn’t exactly something you told another man. It might make him nervous. The thought was intriguing though. I’d have to test out my abilities when I had free time with Leif.

  I didn’t get much of a chance last time since I had thought about my father. Even after all these years, the memory of him still burned me to my core. Now, I could feel the air sizzle when I thought about him. Knowing this triggered my power was helpful.

  We made it to my apartment and Leif pushed open the door. My mouth dropped to the ground when everything was in order. You would have never known there was a struggle here the night before. I took a few steps into the living room and gasped. Even the lamp I’d sworn broke was sitting on the end table. I hurried back to my bedroom. Was I going crazy? There was no evidence of an attack at all.

  “Okay, am I hallucinating? What the hell happened? I distinctly remember that lamp being broken yesterday. Now, it looks as if nothing happened here. Did you have something to do with this?” I jutted out my hip and crossed my arms over my chest glaring.

  “Don’t look at me. My power is telekinesis. I can’t magically make things appear as if they never happened. Well, I might be able to do a little bit, but this would’ve taken some serious magic.” He looked around the room. “You got any magical friends I don’t know about?”

  “Not that I know of, but this is all very new to me.” I shrugged. I was still in awe of my apartment when a knock sounded on the door.

  Leif stiffened. “Hold on,” He strode over to the door and peeked through the hole.

  “You seriously think an evil Morrigan guy is going to knock?” I strutted over and he moved to the side.

  “You never know. Maybe they suddenly acquired manners, or their leader decided they needed some sensitivity training.” His grin widened as I shook my head at him.

  I swung open the door and Shar stood on the other side. Her long dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders. Her beauty was unparalleled, and I always felt a little nervous around Shar. She was my neighbor, and we’d spent hours talking about every topic imaginable.

  When we discussed men, I always scoffed at her. Her long slender legs and body reminded me of the supermodels you see in magazines. Her light mocha complexion was flawless. I felt a twinge of nervousness at her being in the same room as Leif. He would undoubtedly fall head over heels for her, and forget I ever existed.

  Shar cleared her throat, “Karia, dear are you going to introduce me to your handsome new friend. I don’t believe I’ve heard a thing about this one?” she purred. Shar always had a way with speaking as though words rolled off her tongue in a subtle caress.

  I sighed. Here’s to the end of any chance I had with Leif. “Sharalyn, this is Leif. Leif, this is my neighbor Sharalyn.” I turned to each when I said their name. After I introduced them, I stalked over to my refrigerator to grab a drink. If I was about to witness the next love connection, I needed a drink.

  “Leif, you can call me Shar. It’s charming to meet you.” She stepped forward brushing her fingers along his jawline. “Such strong features for a man.”

  Leif cleared his throat when her fingers left his skin. “Ah, thanks. Nice to meet you, too.” He stammered. His sudden nervousness irritated me even more.

  “How do you know, Kaira? Are you dating? I will say you are a far cry from the last man she brought home. Oh, what a train wreck he was.” She sauntered toward me in the kitchen.

  “Shar!” I exclaimed at her line of questioning.

  “What? A good friend asks these things.” She turned to examine Leif. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Let’s cut the crap. I can sense you’re a verity, which means you know exactly why I’m here. Are you the one responsible for cleaning up the mess?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

  “Verity? What the hell are you talking about Leif? Shar is my friend.” I looked from his rigid posture to Shar. She slid onto a barstool, crossing her legs, she smiled.

  “Would you like to explain it or should I?” Leif asked, his voice as smooth as silk.

  “I should explain. I am her appointed guardian after all.” She shifted her gaze from Leif to me. She made an extravagant motion to switch her crossed legs toward me and tapped her finger on her chin. “Now, where should I begin?”

  Leif took a step forward, angling between Shar and me. “Say again?”

  She blinked, “I said, lover boy, that I am her guardian. I was appointed by Hecate herself. Now, step aside so I can tell my beautiful friend all about it.” Her eyes narrowed at Leif before her face relaxed as she looked at me.

  My cheeks flushed when she called Leif, lover boy. Was she serious? She was goading him and I had no idea why. “Shar, what are you talking about?” I slumped my hip against the counter and took a swig of my cider.

  “Honey, I think you need to sit down for this,” she said and stood, sidling over to my sofa. When she sat, she patted the side next to her. I huffed out a breath and moved over to the sofa. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what she was about to tell me. Leif walked
over and took a seat in the chair adjacent me. He placed his left arm on the side, stretching it out closer to me. The gesture reminded me he was here if I needed him.

  “Okay, Shar, tell me what I need to know.” I mentally braced myself for the calamity that was becoming my life.

  “First, let me say that I wanted to tell you a long time ago. Hecate forbade me to interfere with your life unless I needed to. So, I moved in next door and we became friends. I never wanted to keep this from you.” She paused to look into my eyes before continuing. “See, I’m a verity and we hold truth in high regard. You’ve always been the most honest person I know, so it killed me not to tell you.” Her eyes brimmed with sincerity. She reached out to take my hand into both of hers.

  “So, what exactly is a verity? I thought sages were guardians of mages?” I asked. I had never heard of a verity before today.

  “Verities are far superior among the breed world. We are the truth seekers. I can instantly know when someone is lying to me. It’s what makes us such great messengers to the Gods and Goddesses. I can also harness the energy of the universe. It comes in handy when others are misbehaving.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Leif.

  “Keep that shit away from me. I didn’t do anything.” He swept his hand through his hair.

  “Fair warning, mage. I protect my charges, even against boys with bad intentions.” Her eyes narrowed at him. Her voice hovered somewhere between playful and dangerous. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was she warning him not to have sex with me? I covered my mouth, quick before I let out the laugh that threatened to escape.

  “Shar?” I pressed. I wanted her off this subject and the scrutinizing gaze she was giving Leif. I watched as he squared his shoulders and stared her down.

  “Okay, okay,” She rolled her eyes and continued. “Where was I? Oh yes, I’m a verity, but I specifically work for Hecate the Goddess of all mages. She knew of your existence. She also knew you would need protecting. So, she assigned me.” She placed both hands on her chest and fluttered her impossibly long lashes.