by Aspen Drake
Not after Steve.
In fact, humans were completely off limits.
My father had called and told me Steve’s full name was Stephen Rockford Miller. That’s what his license said. But, he’d dug further and found out that Steve had changed his name shortly after turning eighteen. His original name had been Stephen Rockford Morrison. My father made a big deal out of this, and at first, I didn’t understand why. Then it hit me. The Morrison family had helped track down the creepers all those years ago.
“Why would he change his name?” I’d asked my father.
“My guess?” My father scoffed. “He probably wanted to hide the fact that he was a Morrison, so he wouldn’t get special privileges in life. The Morrison name is still highly regarded here. Either that, or he no longer wanted to be a Morrison.”
“Wait. Weren’t some of the creepers named Miller?”
My father sighed sadly into the phone. “Yes, Lily. I need you to stay as far away from this guy as possible.” He paused. “I’m sending a guard to your house. He’s an undercover cop who only works special cases.”
I groaned. “Dad, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“I’m sorry, dear, but I don’t really care what you think right now.” I could hear him typing in the background. “This Miller guy is dangerous.”
I stopped protesting. Dad was right, and it was stupid to ignore the threat.
“He’ll be there around seven, so make sure you have a guest room ready.”
Great. A roomie. Just what I wanted.
At seven sharp, there was a rap on the door. My jaw dropped when I opened it and was face to face with the man from Room Two. “What are you doing here?” I looked around him to see where the security guy was.
“Hello to you, too.” He smirked. “Do you mind if I come in?”
“You’re an undercover cop AND you own a BDSM club?”
He sighed. “Part-time, undercover cop. I only take cases that interest me.” He shifted his bag to his other shoulder.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…I wasn’t expecting you.” I moved to let him in. “I’ll show you to your room.”
After giving him a quick tour of his room, I left him to get situated and went into the kitchen to start dinner. I’d waited so I could make something for both of us.
Just as I was washing my hands, he walked into the kitchen, looking fine as ever. “I hope you’re hungry…and like steak.”
“I love steak…and just about everything else.”
I gave him a nervous smile as I got the t-bones out of the refrigerator. I seasoned them then left them on the counter as I chopped potatoes.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“Do you mind fixing a salad?”
“Not at all.” He opened the fridge and pulled out the ingredients.
I watched his reflection in the window, impressed with his cutting skills. He seemed to know his way around a kitchen. And I loved a man who could cook.
It was incredibly sexy.
“I’m going to take these steaks outside to grill.” I turned toward the door, and he was there in a second.
“Let me do that.” He took the plate from my hands. “I’m really good with a grill.”
“Suits me just fine.” I opened the door for him. “You can be skeeter food.”
He laughed and went to the grill. From the kitchen window, I watched him as I got the potatoes ready to roast. I could get used to the sight of him on my back porch. He was sexy as hell, and his muscles flexed when he used the tongs to turn the steaks.
The oven timer dinged, startling me. I removed the potatoes from the oven and popped in some bread that Willow had made. I let it warm and then placed it on the table with some softened butter.
I was plating the salad when he came in carrying the cooked steaks. “I hope these are okay. I pegged you as a medium-well kinda gal.”
“That’s perfect.” I smiled.
We ate our meal and drank sweet tea as we talked about the possibility of creepers returning. I shuddered. “I remember hearing about creepers in history, but I never paid much attention.” I took a sip of tea and set the glass back on the table. “It was over and done with and depressing as hell. Why listen to it?” I looked at my reflection in the window. “I’ve spent the past couple days reading as much as I could.”
“And what have you learned?” he speared a potato on the tip of his fork.
“That Steve is either a real creeper or he’s trying to be one.” I let my breath out. “He’s using dark magic, I know it.” I explained my experience at the grocery store where he seemed to be in one place and then gone, only to reappear in another. “It felt like I was going crazy.”
“Dark magic is serious business. The idea of dabbling in dark magic is false.” He stared off into space for a minute. “Once you start with dark magic, you can’t stop. You give up a bit of your soul with each spell you cast.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, but a serious question came to mind. “I’ve slept with you twice and sucked your dick once, and I don’t even know your name.” I crossed my arms and leaned back, giving him a playful look.
He gave me a sexy grin. “It’s Anwell, Anwell Cadman.”
“Is Cadman your last name?”
“No, it’s my middle name. My parents always called me Anwell Cadman.” He seemed uneasy. “My last name is Moore.”
“A very proper sounding name, indeed.”
“Well, my family is of Celtic descent so the name kinda fits.” He chuckled.
“Mmm. Too bad you don’t have the luscious accent that comes with that heritage.” I wrapped my hands around the mason jar I was drinking from a grinned. “That would be totally unfair for all women. None of us would stand a chance.”
We talked for a couple hours and enjoyed some dessert before heading to bed. I made sure he had everything he needed in his bedroom and bathroom. I asked if he needed to go into the club, but he said he was off for the next couple nights. I smiled and closed the door behind me as I walked across the house to my room. Even though I should have been worried about the creepers returning, I felt safe knowing Anwell was there with me.
Minutes after my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. It felt like I’d only been asleep for a few minutes when I felt strong arms wrap around me. “Oh, no you don’t.”
The deep voice startled me, and I woke up fully, elbowing the man holding me.
“Ouch. Quit fighting me, Lily.” I recognized Anwell’s voice and turned to face him. I was in front of my open window.
“What’s going on?” I looked around the room and watched the sheer curtains blowing in the breeze.
“I heard the alarm go off and came running to your room.” It was then that I heard the noise coming from the main unit in the entryway. “You were still asleep but trying to crawl out your window. You weren’t too coordinated, thankfully, or you would have been outside before I got here.”
“Why on earth was I trying to get out the window?” I sat on the bed with my hands tucking my short gown between my legs.
“My guess is you were summoned.” He sat down to next to me. “A couple nights ago, I was outside your home because I saw your encounter with Steve. I looked up your address in the computer at work and stood watch a couple houses up. Steve tried to break into your home, but I managed to run him off. Since he couldn’t get in, he’s trying to draw you out.” Anwell got up and looked out the window. I saw his eyes and nose shift into that of a wolf as he scanned the area. “He was close by, but he’s gone now.” He let the curtain fall back into place and shifted back into his human form.
I shivered, but it wasn’t from the wind blowing through the window, which was hot and humid. He’d been outside my window twice now. I should have been concerned that Anwell had looked up my information and watched my home. But if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now.
Anwell sat back on the bed and wrapped his arm around me. “Look, I know th
is is weird, but you don’t have another bedroom on this end of the house. I’m going to sleep on the floor tonight. I want to make sure I’m as close as I can be.”
“Don’t be silly—” I began.
“I know we don’t know each other well, but I won’t try anything. I swear.” He held up his hand in what I guessed was a scout’s honor type of sign.
“I was just going to say that you don’t have to sleep on the floor. I have a king-sized bed, and I know you well enough. I know you won’t try anything unless I want you to.” I winked at him and crawled back under the covers before picking up the remote and adjusting the air conditioner to a cooler temp. “Do you mind shutting the window and turning off the alarm?” I asked before turning onto my side.
He didn’t move for a couple minutes, seeming unsure of what he should do. I heard the window close, and the alarm’s incessant chirp came to an end before he crawled into bed on the other side.
I lay there for a few minutes trying to get comfortable. “I can feel you clinging to the edge, trying not to touch me, and it’s making me as uncomfortable as you must be. Relax. I won’t bite.” I felt his muscles relax as he made himself more comfortable.
In a matter of minutes, I was asleep again and dreaming of a forest. There was an empty spot in the center of the forest where people had erected a stone alter. Two men stood talking. One was very old, but he seemed to be in good shape for his age. The second man turned, and I saw it was Steve.
“Well, where is she?” the older man asked.
“The spell was broken. Something interfered.” He shook his head in disbelief and rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe she tripped over something.”
“Dammit. We’ll have to try again tomorrow.” The old man flung a lifeless cat into the forest. “And we’ll need to find another cat.”
I awoke with a start, covered in sweat.
14
Anwell
She’d told me of her dream and how she worried about going to sleep the next night. I held her and calmed her fears. Funny enough, she was more worried about cats being danger than her own safety. It made me like her just a bit more, which was dangerous. We were no longer just dealing with her being a different species, but we now had to deal with the entire paranormal community being in danger. We didn’t have time to focus on a budding relationship.
I was in the kitchen making coffee when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find her father on the other side. “Walker, it’s good to see you,” I said while holding out my hand to shake his.
He took my hand in both of his and gave it a hearty shake. “You too, Anwell. How’s she doing?”
“She’s asleep right now, but it was a rough night.”
“The police told me about the alarm, but the alarm company said it had been shut off with the code. Did they attempt to break in again?”
I ushered him into the kitchen to have a cup of coffee. As we sat at the breakfast bar, I told him about Lily trying to crawl out her bedroom window.
“Thank goodness you were here. You have no idea how much I appreciate you watching over my daughter. I know you technically left the agency, but you said you’d always be around for emergencies.” He stared into his coffee cup.
“This certainly qualifies as an emergency.” I took a sip of my coffee. “They tried to summon her. This is serious business. Not only that, but she had a dream afterward.”
Walker got a concerned look on his face. “What was her dream?”
“She saw Steve and an older man. She said the older man appeared to be really old, but in great health. They had sacrificed a cat in order to perform the spell to summon her.”
“Damn. I’ll make sure a statement is run on the news tonight for people to keep watch over their pets and not leave them outside unattended.” He placed his hands on his face and sighed. “I can’t believe this is happening, Anwell. This was supposed to have ended almost a hundred years ago.”
“Do you think that’s why they’re trying to come back? Does the 100th anniversary hold any significance to them?” I leaned in closer.
“I’m not sure.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the table. “I may be old, but this all happened before I was born.”
“The man Lily dreamed about – do you think he may have been alive then?”
“Who knows. She mentioned he looked really old but still healthy, right? Maybe this human has been using black magic to stay alive. Still, he would have to be really old to have been alive back then and to understand what was happening. It’s possible this is a decedent of one of the creepers, but if so, he should have been exiled from the area with all the other creepers.”
“Where did the creepers go after they were exiled?” I was genuinely curious. Did they go on to kill other paranormal beings in other towns?
“I’m not sure. Our warlocks and witches stripped the men of their powers and bound them, so they could never do black magic again.”
I stared out the window and considered his words. “Then this man couldn’t have been part of the original creeper colony. Is it possible he’s simply a sicko who wants to wipe out the paranormal community?”
“Anything is possible, but why? Why now?” Walker got up and refilled his coffee cup, bringing the pot over to refill mine as well. “This information shouldn’t be common knowledge to any humans currently living. It’s not something taught in their history classes, not even in local history.” He took a sip of coffee and sat back down. “The humans that remained wanted nothing to do with the creepers and wanted to forget everything that had happened.”
“Is it possible some of our own have spoken to humans about our past? Maybe without knowing what could happen?”
“Maybe, but most kids today hardly pay attention to the history of the area. They’d rather stare at their smartphones and be absorbed in their own world.” He leaned against the back of the stool. “Lily herself barely passed any of her history classes. It was a subject that never interested her.”
“Maybe that was for the best. Maybe we shouldn’t be telling our children about what happened.” I wrapped my hands around my mug and let out a deep sigh.
“Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Walker left with a mission to get the word out about the pets and to do more research into the creepers. I didn’t think he’d learn anything new – the man was a walking tome of information. Still, we needed to know as much as possible.
Later that morning, Lily came into the living room looking like death warmed over. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was a mess. She had a large fluffy robe wrapped around her that seemed to swallow her whole. Her tiny head barely poked out above the collar. She went straight into the kitchen and poured herself a large cup of ice coffee with lots of chocolate syrup and heavy cream.
She came back into the living room and sank down on the couch with a heavy sigh. After a few sips of coffee, she was ready to talk. “How are you this morning?”
I was stunned she was asking about me. “I’m good, but – more importantly – how are you doing?”
She took a big drink of her coffee and seemed to think about it. “I didn’t sleep well the rest of the night. I kept tossing and turning and seeing things.”
“What type of things?” I leaned closer and rubbed her shoulder. At least, I thought it was her shoulder. The robe was really thick. Her shoulder had to be under there somewhere though.
“I’m not sure. Images kept flashing in and out of focus, changing too quickly for me to make them out. I just felt a sense of dread that I couldn’t shake.” She shivered and pulled her robe closer around her. “I’m not sure, but I feel that something bad is about to happen. Something much worse than what we’re expecting.”
“What does your heart tell you?”
She looked at me with tears and fear in her eyes. “Darkness. All I see is darkness.”
15
Lily
/>
After my morning coffee, I took a shower and tried to get my writing done for the day. I was behind by a couple thousand words. I pushed the negative energy from my mind and focused on the couple in my latest novel. As I wrote the sex scenes, I couldn’t help but think about the sexy man in the other room. If it were a perfect world, we’d be meeting at the club to have a carefree night of sex. I would love my submissive role and how he dominated me.
I shook my head again and focused on getting the words on the screen. Before I knew it, I had found my rhythm and had caught up on my writing. When I ended my day, I was actually a couple thousand words ahead of schedule. I smiled, feeling good about what I had accomplished.
I closed down my computer for the day and went to look through my library. I had a book on local history – somewhere. It wasn’t something I’d read before, it had actually been a gift from my father who wanted me to learn more about our past. I’d never cared about history. Why live in the past when we have so much to look forward to? Now I understood. We needed to be aware of what had happened so we would recognize the signs of it happening again.
After a few minutes of searching, I found the book. It was much larger than I remembered. I sat down at my library desk and flipped to the table of contents. The section I was looking for started on page 165. The next hundred pages described the events that took place during the time that the creepers tormented the community.
I flipped to a section about dreams. It seemed that those who could see the creepers in their dreams were the ones who went on to meet a terrible fate. There were journal entries that described the dreams of several women in perfect detail. It took months before a connection was discovered between the dreamers and those who were murdered. I thought about my own dreams and shuddered.
I continued to read late into the evening. I was surprised when Anwell knocked on the door and told me dinner was ready. Not only had I been in there for hours, but I’d forgotten to take care of my guest. “I’m so sorry. I meant to cook you a really nice dinner, but I got so lost in this book.” I motioned to the book that lay open in front of me. “The more I learn, the less I want to know. These were truly horrible people.”
