by Ruby Raine
“No idea what to expect, really. But it makes sense. And now I also really want pizza.”
Riley smirked.
“And you, Lucas,” Melinda turned to him. “Do you have any extra magical gifts, like your brother?”
“Nope. Not a one. Just your run of the mill witch.”
“That refuses to be one,” muttered Riley.
“I don’t refuse to be one. I just refuse to let magic rule my life.”
“I think you and my brother Michael would get along really well,” said Melinda.
“If he could get beyond the fact that my last name is Deane, you mean.”
Melinda shrugged. “Yeah, there is that. Okay, take a right here. We’re almost there.”
A short drive later, they pulled into an alcove and parked.
“Mack said someone reported seeing this strange looking man around here somewhere. There doesn’t appear to be anyone around now,” she noted.
“So how do you usually start investigating something like this?” asked Lucas.
“Looking around. I know, exciting right? We look for signs that something supernatural has been around.”
“And how do you tell that?” asked Riley.
“Magic, the supernatural, the paranormal, they all leave magical traces behind. It’s not always easy to spot. Sometimes the trail fades before we see it. And if a supernatural creature is running amuck on the Isle, but not in its true form, it might not leave a trail at all.”
“True form?” questioned Riley.
“Well, like I’m a witch. But only the magic I use will leave a trail. Or another example, um... if a mermaid is in her human form, no trail, but in her natural mermaid form, there’s a,” Riley interrupted her.
“Oh. Oh wait! Hold up!”
“What?” both Lucas and Melinda called out.
“I’m getting that sudden desire to be somewhere. Like super strong.”
“Just like that?” questioned Melinda.
“Yeah. And we’re close. Really close.” They got out of the truck and let Riley lead the way. He walked until the feeling got stronger and then started to fade. They were on a short rocky beach with a steep, but climbable, rock wall on both sides.
He stopped, staring up the steep rock.
“Do we go up there?” Melinda asked, pointing.
“Not sure. It faded. Could be we are here, could be it just faded and might or might not come back. As I said, it’s not always useful.”
“Why don’t you two stay here,” suggested Lucas, peering down at Melinda’s flip-flops.
“Um, yeah. William and I expected to visit with you guys and head home after.”
“You always go out so prepared?” rebuked Lucas. “Aren’t you on the job twenty-four-seven?”
Melinda’s stare turned lethal. “I made it all the way to your house in them.” Although she knew walking on the road was a lot different than rock climbing.
“I’ll just climb up and take a peek, see if there’s anything up there. You two try not to have too much fun while I’m away.” Lucas started to climb, easily making his way towards the top.
“I warned you my brother could be a little...”
“Too much like my brothers,” Melinda finished. “Kind of getting sick of them all.”
“Not going to disagree,” Riley said.
Melinda leaned her back against the rock wall, her arms crossed, for some reason determined to keep her hands off Riley.
“So this feeling thingy,” she asked, “does it drive you absolutely mad?”
“I wouldn’t say it drives me mad, but it can sometimes be a little maddening. It did bring me to you though.”
“You mean at the beach when I got caught in the rogue wave?”
“Well yes, but, do you remember when we ran into each other in town? Before we’d officially met.”
“You mean when I barreled around a corner and pretty much fell into your arms... yes, I recall.”
“I wasn’t there by chance,” he admitted.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I had a feeling that I needed to walk down that street and around that corner. And there you were. I knew instantly I was meant to meet you. Too bad it didn’t also warn me you were a Howard.”
“I think we’ve gotten past that.”
“Have we? What would your brothers actually say if they knew we were helping you right now?”
Melinda took too long to reply.
“It’s like that,” stated Riley. “I feel like we’re stuck in the middle of a test that will never end.”
“I know. It’s getting tiresome. But maybe we can move things along a little? We’ve given them all time to adjust. I don’t want to be stuck any longer.”
“I can see it’s driving you mad. You’re a hot little volcano about to erupt.”
She reached out and punched his arm. He winced, pretending her dainty punch had actually hurt him. She rolled her eyes, but he wasn’t wrong. It took everything she had to stay where she was and keep her hands to herself. Little pebbles fell down the rock and they looked to see Lucas climbing back down.
“Nothing up there except stunning views all around.”
“Okay, well, let’s look around down here then,” Melinda suggested.
“You mean you didn’t while I was climbing?”
Melinda felt her face getting hotter. Now he thinks he knows how to do my job, geesh!
“Lucas,” groaned Riley.
Lucas shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Whatever,” she said, turning to Riley. “I take it you’ve got nothing new happening in the feeling department.”
He wanted to make a witty reply, but upon seeing her face kept it on topic. “No, sorry. Feeling is gone completely now.”
“Okay. Stand back then, away from the wall. Since this is where your feeling thingy, you know, we really need to come up with a better name for it.”
“Not so easy, is it?”
“Anyway, back away from the wall. Since this is where your ability brought us, I’m going to do a spell which should reveal any magical traces left behind.”
Melinda held out her palm and whispered an incantation. A sparkling haze fell over the rock wall as she swept her palm back and forth across it. But the haze dissipated leaving behind the rock wall, looking normal.
“Cool,” said Riley, impressed.
Lucas said nothing.
Which was also what Melinda found. Nothing. Not a single trace of magic.
“Bummer. Guess we’ll just have to search around on foot. See if this strange man happened to leave anything behind.” Melinda started to glance around, peering under bushes and around rocks. Lucas and Riley joined in, combing the beach, while Melinda focused her efforts in the woods lining the beach. After a few minutes, Melinda thought she heard Riley say something but she couldn’t understand him. “Sorry, what?” she called out to him.
“Huh?” he replied.
“Oh, I thought I heard you talking to me.”
“Nope.”
“Never mind,” she replied, continuing her search. After another minute, she heard someone laughing. Not a normal, just-heard-a-funny-joke laugh, more of a low, through your teeth, snarling sort of laugh.
“Who’s there?” she asked, anchoring herself to the ground. Her palm raised in front of her, facing outward toward the direction of the laughter. Except now the laughter was coming from everywhere and nowhere. She spun around looking for the source. She groaned, unable to hear it anymore.
“What is it?” asked Riley, sidling up alongside her.
Lucas followed, taking a stance on her other side.
“Heard something,” Melinda said. “From over there first,” she pointed with her head. “But it kept moving. It was someone laughing maniacally.”
“Seriously?” asked Riley. “Is that common?”
“Not really, no. And I don’t hear it now. Probably just my imagination.” She released her stance, putting her hands on her hips. “This is a waste of time. I’m going to c
all Charlie and Michael, see what’s up with them. I don’t think we’re going to learn anything more here.”
“We will, um, wait for you by the truck,” suggested Lucas, motioning for Riley to follow and give her some privacy.
“I’ll be right there,” she said, reaching into her pocket for her phone. Just as she started to dial, she heard the Deanes shouting and dropped the phone.
“Hey. You! Stop right there!” Lucas was ordering.
“He’s getting away,” warned Riley.
Melinda ran to see what was happening when a cracking boom and a plume of smoke stopped her. She heard shouts, and feet scuffing across the ground, and what sounded like someone hitting someone.
“Riley! Lucas!” she called out, waving her arms to get the smoke to clear. She saw a shape emerging from the plume. “What happened?”
“We saw him,” said Lucas in a stunned tone. “He was right here by the truck.”
“Where’s Riley?”
Lucas spun around, calling out for his brother. They heard a groan and raced towards it. Riley was sitting on the ground rubbing his head.
“Riley!” she cried out, falling to her knees. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
Lucas and Melinda helped Riley to his feet. It took a minute for him to get his bearings. Melinda let out a worried whimper.
“I think he hit me or something,” Riley told them.
Melinda examined his head but didn’t see any open wounds. “No blood at least.”
“You’re okay?” Lucas asked him again.
“Yeah. I’m okay. I don’t know that he hit me so much as did something strange to my head. I felt this pressure over my skull, sort of like something was dripping down over my skin and then this pain, like I’d been hit.”
Melinda breathed out in relief. “At least you’re okay. Lucky break really. Would be disastrous to have you guys get hurt first time helping. Brothers would have a field day with that.”
“I’m good,” insisted Riley. “We can just skip over this part of the story if you prefer.” It wasn’t like he wanted to share the fact that he’d nearly been knocked out by some short, freaky looking dude. Especially with William, Mr. Vampire Perfection to rub it in.
“So what did you guys see? What did he look like?” asked Melinda.
“Jagged teeth,” started Lucas with a shudder. “A mouth that’s way too large for his head.”
“And he was short. Thin, kind of wiry, but like Lucas said, a really large face with a grin I would prefer to go without seeing again.”
Melinda shuddered. This thing wasn’t only real, but creepy.
“Did you see where he went?”
“No. He was here, and then that smoke exploded everywhere and he was gone,” Riley said. Melinda leaned back against the truck, watching him rub his head.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Does it hurt?” she grilled. “We could stop by the hospital and get it checked out, just in case.”
“Only thing hurt is my pride,” he insisted dolefully. “I’m fine. Really. It doesn’t hurt anymore, just feels weird. Like there’s still something dripping down my head.” He shivered at the odd sensation.
Melinda frowned, hoping he really was all right. If this strange man was what they thought it was, and she was now fairly certain it was, they could be tricky and sometimes dangerous to deal with. She turned to Lucas. “And you’re okay?”
“Me? Fine. Didn’t get that close to me.”
When explaining things to them earlier that day, Melinda had left out the suspicions of what this strange man was... a Feyk. There just hadn’t been a place to fit it into the conversation, and seeing how little Lucas and Riley knew about the supernatural world, she figured they’d never heard of one. She shook her head, troubled.
“If this thing is what I think it is, we could be in for some serious trouble.”
“You mean with my head?” asked Riley.
“Oh. No. Not so much that as just the Isle, in general.”
“What do you think it is?” Lucas questioned.
“If I’m right, and at this point I’m pretty sure I am, it’s a Feyk.”
“Feyk. You mean like Fey... Faeries?” asked Lucas.
“You’ve heard of them?”
“Yes. Read about them actually. I don’t really like magic, but I do read up on it. Historical reading, mostly.”
Riley nodded in agreement. He remembered Lucas mention them.
“Well these Feyks are in the Faerie family, but the worst kind. A Firebrand Feyk. Tricksters. Hired guns of the supernatural community, so to speak. Usually hired to wreak havoc. They don’t normally hurt people intentionally, but if someone gets caught in the crossfire, they don’t really care.”
“Maybe a local hired them, to help keep the whole supernatural mystery alive,” suggested Riley. “You were talking about that news reporter, maybe the station hired them. Or she hired them. Wait, how would they even know about something like Feyks?”
“Hard to say, on all counts, and it’s not impossible, but...”
“But?” pressed Riley.
Melinda bit her lip nervously as she didn’t want to explain what this Feyk confirmation also meant. She sucked in deeply before explaining.
“You guys should know that the last time any Feyks made trouble on the Isle,” she stopped unwilling to say the words.
Lucas shook his head. “When I said historical reading, I should have said, Deane history. I am aware, the Feyk allied with the Deanes during the battle for the Isle.”
Melinda nodded. It looked more like an, I’m sorry. “I know it has nothing to do with you guys, it’s just...”
“Really suck-ass timing,” finished Riley.
“Super sucky.”
“So what now? You want us to drop you somewhere? Should we pretend this whole thing didn’t happen?” asked Lucas, half-joking, half-serious.
“No. Let’s head back into town. I’ll try Charlie and Michael on the way, see what’s up. See what they’ve found out. I trust you guys,” she had the sudden urge to say. “They’ll just have to as well.”
Lucas tossed her a kind smile and got back into his truck.
Riley helped her back into the cab and she slid in, sandwiched between them.
Lucas got them back on the road while Melinda left Charlie a message. He didn’t pick up. Neither did Michael. Or William.
“Dang it! What is it with people not picking up their damn phones today?”
No one answered her calls.
She glanced at Riley, he was staring intently out his window.
Lucas stared straight ahead, his face hardened and deep in thought.
“Are you sure you guys are okay? That whole thing was pretty weird for you, huh?”
“What?” said Riley. “Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a minute.” He reached down and grasped her hand.
Lucas glanced over. “Not freaked out at all. Could use some processing time, it’s definitely a new experience, but not freaked. So no one picked up your calls?”
“No. I left messages. Just head towards town and I’ll try again in a few minutes.”
“You worried something’s happened to them?” asked Lucas.
“Nah. Probably just busy, or already on the phone, or in William’s case, he most likely doesn’t even have his turned on. Never mind he can’t ever figure out how to answer the damn thing.”
“And Lizzy’s with him!” added Lucas with a coarse laugh. “They’re not going to be answering any calls. I guarantee you, she’s ten times worse than your vampire friend when it comes to technology. She’s got a pretty good excuse though.”
“She does, yes. William, though, is so smart and moves so fast. I can’t believe he’s so bad at things like answering a cell phone.” Melinda let out a chuckle. It was a funny thought. She mocked them trying to answer a call, getting Lucas laughing even harder.
“Lizzy has only been human again for a few weeks,” Melinda said. “But Wi
lliam’s been around for hundreds of years and you’ve never seen anything like it. He can move at lightning speed, literally fly to my side in a flash when I call for him. But if you could see him try to type! Oh. My. God! He uses one finger. One. And has to search for each letter and hit the keys one at a time. It’s completely ridiculous.”
“Also a very funny thought,” agreed Lucas, casting a glance in her direction. But rather than a smiling Melinda, he caught the gaze of a glaring Riley.
Melinda felt the ease disappear, replaced with tension.
She’d brought up William again. It was just funny talk though.
“You two are getting nice and chummy,” Riley stated in a jealous tone.
“Um, what?” Melinda replied, confused. She’d have thought he’d be thrilled she and Lucas were getting along. She assumed he’d be upset that she brought up William again.
Lucas cast him a confused side-glance but ignored his brother.
“And is it possible for you to have a single conversation that doesn’t revolve around your bloodsucker?”
“It was a joke, Riley. I can’t keep him out of the conversation all the time. He’s a part of my life. You need to accept that and get over whatever weird ass jealousy you’ve got going on.” She didn’t mean to lay into him but it was getting on her nerves, these sudden turns in his mood.
“It’s like you can’t go ten minutes without talking about him. Oh William. He’s so grand. He’s perfect. We’re just the best of friends,” he mocked poorly.
Melinda folded her arms, no other response except anger and irritation.
“Riley, that was uncalled for,” stated Lucas in her defense. “I wasn’t hitting on your girlfriend; you should know that better than anyone.” He didn’t extrapolate his meaning. “And it was a funny story, plain and simple.”
“Yeah, however you want to play it,” Riley threw back.
“Excuse me?” said Melinda hotly. “I think that Feyk hit you on the head harder than you thought.” Her anger turned to hurt, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Stuck in the middle of two Deane brothers was suddenly the most uncomfortable place she could be. Maybe asking them to assist was a bad idea after all.
Riley sighed, rubbing his head. He let out an irritated grunt. “Melinda, God, I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from. Maybe I do need to get my head looked at.”
