by Lola Gabriel
“Really?” she asked, and her mother nodded. “And you don’t want any of it?”
“I have no use for it.”
“Are you sure? You can keep a few photographs if you want. He was your husband. You loved him,” Asra stated.
“I did, but he’s gone. The memories I have of him are right in here,” her mother answered and touched her temple.
Asra frowned slightly and wondered why her mother didn't point to her heart instead of her head. Wasn't it more meaningful to keep someone who had passed on in your heart rather than your head? Was her mother not telling her something? Did she resent her husband after all these years? Or were the memories too painful for her heart to bear?
Apart from being helpful, her mother was also the most caring person in the world, and was super sensitive to all emotions, especially Asra’s. Even as a child, when Asra was hurt and crying, her mother would feel it ten times more. They weren't sure what caused that to happen, but Asra’s grandmother had always believed that it was a curse put on her daughter for falling in love, marrying, and having a child with a man who was only human.
Her grandmother was an old-school witch, and unfortunately, she was incredibly set in her ways. Asra was also convinced that it was due to her grandmother’s blatant distaste for her father that she had sent her mother over to get rid of his belongings.
“Mom, can I ask you a question?” Asra studied her mother after taking a sip of the tea.
“Always, honey,” was her mother’s answer. “Unless it’s about sexual intimacy. I’d rather not know, nor give my advice.”
“It’s got nothing to do with sexual intimacy, I promise,” Asra answered with a cringe, and her mother looked at her expectantly. “I know that our intuition and our sixth sense is very accurate, and I have to trust it, but…”
“But what? What happened?”
“I met someone today and...”
“And what?” Her mother’s eyes widened, as if a juicy story was about to go down, or at least in her mind.
“I got a weird feeling. I don’t really know how to describe it exactly. I guess it felt right and wrong at the same time. Is that something you’ve ever felt, Mom?”
“Not about a person. About a situation, sure. There was this one time when I was a teenager, many, many years ago,” her mother answered. “My friends invited me to a party. Of course, your grandmother refused because there would be loud music—disturbing my inner peace—and a bunch of humans.”
‘Did you go?”
“Of course I did. I was a rebellious teenager with an overprotective mother. I had to go.”
Asra chuckled and rested her chin on her hands, her elbows on the table. “What happened?”
“I met a really cute boy, you know, a friend of a friend of a friend, and we danced and had a wonderful time. Then the moment came when he leaned in to kiss me. It felt both wrong and right at the same time. I knew my mother would completely flip out and bathe me in sage and recharge her crystals if she knew I was about to kiss this boy, but deep down in my heart, I knew I wanted to. Whatever my mother thought, I didn't care, because it was my life. So, I kissed him.”
Asra smiled dreamily, wondering what it would feel like to kiss Cole Wylde. “That’s so sweet.”
Her mother scoffed and continued, “Your grandmother found out and put a hex on his genitals, which up to this day do not work without medication.”
Asra’s jaw dropped, and she stared at her mother for a few seconds. “Grandma was out of control back then.”
“And it’s only gotten worse,” her mother shrugged, finishing her tea. “Who did you meet?”
“It was just no one. For a moment I was frozen, exhilarated and terrified at the same time.”
“That doesn't sound like no one. Did you talk to the person?” her mother fished.
“I did.”
“And?”
“You’re fishing, and I’m not going to bite,” Asra said and pointed her finger at her mother.
“At least tell me his name,” her mother sang, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Asra rolled her eyes, and she shook her head in disapproval. “His name is Cole, and he’s really good-looking.”
“See, that wasn't hard, was it?”
“Shut up,” Asra chuckled.
“Does this Cole have a last name?”
“That was the thing I was wondering about, Mom. His last name sounded so familiar to me, but I couldn't place it.” Asra recalled the way he introduced himself and shivered. “It’s Wylde.”
Her mother’s shoulders tensed and she glared at Asra for a moment, before shaking her head.
“What?” Asra asked. “Do we know him, or his family?”
“I think I better go,” her mother said and abruptly stood from the chair.
“Mom, wait,” Asra called out as her mother walked to the front door. “Who are the Wyldes?”
“You don't want to know, and I suggest you stay away from him,” her mother said as they reached the front door. “Not just for you, but for our entire coven.”
“But—”
Asra’s mother kissed the top of her head and opened the door.
“Mom, who are they?” she repeated, and her mother regarded her with a worried expression on her face. “Please.”
Her mother bit her lip and sighed. “I think it’d be best if you didn't know,” she said simply before rushing down the front path to her car.
Asra sighed miserably as she watched her mother’s red Toyota pull out of the driveway and speed off.
“What the hell was that about?” she muttered to herself as she stepped back inside and closed the front door behind her. She entered the kitchen and glanced down at the box on the floor. Too inquisitive to help herself, she sat down on the floor and opened the top. There were a lot of things in the box, small wooden boxes filled with photographs, leather-bound journals filled with her father’s handwriting, and it made her feel overwhelmed. She picked out a random journal and began to read the first page.
Her father wrote of the first time he met her mother in a crowded bar in town, Sunrise, which was literally open until sunrise. In fact, it was still open today. Her father described her mother in detail, and Asra felt a pang of nostalgia hit her right in the heart. If there was one thing she would never be able to forget about her father was how unbelievably much he had loved her mother, and clearly, it was from the very first moment he saw her. She continued to read for a while, until it came to the part where they kissed for the first time. Feeling like a bit of a voyeur, she closed the book, and as she placed it back in the box, a folded piece of yellowed paper fell out of it. She reached for it and unfolded it. There were a few names and numbers written on it, and her eyes widened as she noticed the last name on the list.
Cole Wylde.
“What the...” She blinked a few times and bit her bottom lip.
After checking the other names, trying to see if she recognized any of them, she stood from the floor and rushed to her bedroom. She opened her laptop and searched the first name on the list.
Deceased.
Could just be a coincidence, right? she thought, and continued typing the rest of the names into her search engine. All of them turned out to be deceased, and all of them had been in law enforcement all over the country.
Asra was almost too afraid to type in Cole’s name, but took a deep breath and searched his name. “You’re very much alive,” she sighed a breath of relief and scanned through the articles. Many articles from Alabama popped up, where Cole had been involved in assisting with violent crimes in the state.
“Cole Wylde is a cop?” she breathed. Stunned, she read an article about him ‘retiring’ and moving to another state. “Was a cop,” she murmured and crossed her arms. “So, what the hell are you doing here? And why were you on my dad’s list? Plus, what kind of list was it?”
Asking herself questions out loud helped her to focus better, but these questions didn't seem to have an answ
er. At that moment she wished she could bring her father back from the dead, but, of course, that kind of magic was prohibited by the elders.
Asra ran her fingers through her hair and sighed miserably. A headache started to form right between her eyes, and she knew that her body was craving nicotine.
“What a great time to quit smoking, Asra,” she muttered in frustration.
She sat silently for a short while, then closed her laptop and stood from the chair. She walked through the house, grabbed her car keys and left the house.
As she started the car, she knew she might be making a mistake at that moment, but she didn't care.
She needed a smoke, even if it was second-hand smoke.
From Sunrise.
4
Cole stared at the empty whiskey glass in front of him and pouted slightly. Although he wanted to order another glass, he wasn't in the right frame of mind to even enjoy it. He had spent the entire day avoiding Alora, and frankly, he was exhausted and moody. The music inside the bar wasn't really helping either, but it was the only other place he wouldn't be found.
Even though he would never admit it to anyone, his history with Alora was more complicated than he let on. They didn't just have sex once or twice. They were actually in a full-blown relationship, which Cole insisted they keep under wraps. Cole knew the implications of having a girlfriend or someone he cared for. Enemies usually targeted those people first in order to get an emotional reaction from the ones who loved them. It had happened to him too many times, and he didn't want that to happen to Alora, or any woman he slept with.
Right now, though, a relationship was completely off the table for him, as he was in one of those mindsets which made him believe that he wasn't worthy of love.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he remembered when he was a young boy, and his other brothers hadn't been born yet. His mother told him a bedtime story about a prince who was often a bit misunderstood and eventually found the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. The way his mother described this woman reminded him of her, and it made his heart happy to know that he’d get to spend his life with someone like his mother. He felt loved, and worthy of it, even if he needed to be reminded of this every day.
Cole ran his finger along the rim of the glass when a strange feeling washed over him, and he frowned. It was the same feeling he had felt in the hardware store, and he glanced around him. There was almost no one in the bar, which was not surprising, as it was still early. Just as he was about to turn back to his original position at the bar, the doors opened, blinding him momentarily. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he saw her walking towards him.
Her light brown hair tumbled down her shoulders, and he could honestly say she was the most beautiful and intriguing woman he had ever seen. A strong sense of belonging rose up inside him, and as she walked closer to him, it increased tremendously.
Cole realized what had happened, and was quite surprised. He had just imprinted on this beautiful brunette and the feeling coursing through his body was completely overwhelming to him.
She walked up to the bar, placed her hands on the counter and looked over at him with a frown. “You again.”
“I can say the same to you,” he smirked. “Asra, right?”
The corners of her mouth curled up in the sexiest way, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. “You have a good memory, Cole Wylde.”
“Well, I did meet you earlier today,” he pointed out with a chuckle.
“Right,” she laughed.
“You want to join me?” he asked.
She glanced at him apprehensively and bit her bottom lip. “Sure. What are we drinking?”
“Well, I was riding the whiskey train, but would happily switch to something a little tamer,” he answered.
Her dark eyebrows lifted slightly, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s mildly offensive,” she observed, “but probably true.”
Cole chuckled in amusement as she sat down on the barstool beside him and their bodies being only inches apart, almost touching, drove him to a new level of insanity.
“Two of these, please,” Cole said to the bartender, raising his glass.
The bartender nodded and Cole looked at her appraisingly. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”
“Well, you’ve never seen me in the hardware store either,” Asra pointed out.
“Why is that? Don’t you get out much?” he teased.
“I do, just not a lot.”
“Does your boyfriend keep you busy?”
She glanced at him and shook her head. “My job, actually.”
“And what is it that you do?”
“I’m a chef,” she answered proudly.
A smile formed on Cole’s lips as he gazed into her brown eyes. It was as if she was sent specifically for him and he couldn't believe his luck. Of course, it wasn't luck. Mother Nature knew exactly what she was doing, even if Cole didn’t believe she could ever find someone for him.
He wasn't exactly the easiest person in the world to get to know, or get along with. Maybe this was because of the way he had been treated by the people who were supposed to accept him the way he was, and not try to change him into the person they wished he was.
His smile faded slightly, but he refused to allow the memories of his past to have an effect on the present, especially this moment with Asra.
“Wow, I didn't know chefs were this attractive,” he said in his usual brash manner.
I seriously need to stop being such an arrogant son-of-a-bitch, he reminded himself.
His mate—whether she realized it or not—was sitting beside him, and he didn't want her to be repulsed by his ‘I don't give a shit’ attitude.
“I will take that as a compliment,” she said as the waiter placed their drinks in front of them. “To attractive chefs.”
He raised his glass to meet hers, and the glasses clinked as they connected for a brief moment.
“Do you come here often?” he asked, knowing it was a bit of a cliché question, but not really caring. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Asra, even if it was only to get a goofy reaction out of her because of his stupid pick-up line.
He expected her to either laugh in his face or throw her drink at him and leave, but she chuckled with wry amusement and took a sip of her drink. “Enough about me. Do you come here often?”
“No, I’m actually hiding,” he admitted.
“You too, huh? What are you hiding from exactly?” She placed her glass down on the counter and regarded him. “Your job, a crazy ex-girlfriend?”
“The chaos that is my life,” he muttered.
“Ah,” she nodded with understanding, “and how’s that working out for you?”
“It just seems to follow me everywhere.”
Asra raised her eyebrows and pouted. “That’s too bad.”
There was a moment of silence between them, until she motioned to the bartender and said, “A round of tequila, please, bartender.”
“Coming right up,” the bartender said.
Cole looked at her in surprise, and she shrugged her shoulders.
“If we’re hiding from our lives, then we might as well drown our sorrows.”
“I like the way you think,” Cole smiled approvingly as the bartender placed a round of shots in front of them.
Asra picked up a shot, with Cole following suit, and she raised it slightly. “To hiding and drowning,” she announced.
“And to attractive chefs,” he added.
She chuckled as they drank their tequila and slammed the glasses down on the counter.
“Tell me about yourself,” Asra demanded.
“What do you want to know?”
She narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment. “What kind of job do you have?”
“I’m in management,” he answered.
“No, you’re not.” She shook her head at him.
“You think I’m lying?”
“Guys like y
ou aren’t in management.”
“Guys like me?” he said with a perplexed expression on his face.
“Yeah. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?” she raved. “You’re either a cowboy, a construction worker, or a dinosaur wrangler.”
“A dinosaur wrangler.”
“See, I knew it,” she shrugged nonchalantly and ordered another round.
“Easy on the tequila, Ms. Morgan,” Cole warned. “That stuff can be pretty brutal.”
“I know. Drink up.” She winked at him and drank down another.
Cole felt a smile forming on his lips as he stared at her. He was sure she didn't know who or what he was, and even though it didn't bother him before, he wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know everything about him. Obviously, he couldn't tell her everything right there and then, but he needed to start being honest with her—even though they’d only just met that very same day—and with himself for a change.
“What?” she asked when he stared for a second longer than he intended to.
Every cell in his body urged him to stay cool and collected, but he couldn’t. The look in her eyes was doing things to him that he never even knew could happen and he couldn't fight it any longer. He leaned forward, cupped her face with his hands and kissed her. He tasted the salty tequila aftertaste that still lingered, but the sweetness of her lips soon overpowered it completely. He found it surprising that she didn't fight him off, instead simply easing into it and kissing him back with enough fire and desire to burn down the entire state.
That comparison may have been in poor taste, with his parents perishing in a house fire, but it was the truth. Asra made him feel hot, and his heart rate accelerated beyond belief. The touch of her hand on his shoulder was the final straw for him, and he knew he needed to have her.
He was the first to pull away, even though he didn't want to, and he scrutinized her with his head tilted to one side.
“You’re a really good kisser,” she declared bluntly.
“Ditto.”
“There’s something about you, Cole. Something I just can’t place,” she murmured in a low voice, although he heard it clearly.
