Playing With Monsters

by Amelia Hutchins

  I looked at my home. Home. It sounded so easy to just come back, and yet it wouldn’t be. I looked around at the elaborate decorations that gave an elegant, festive look to the entryway, and the trees.

  The lanterns that hung from the weeping willows had fireflies inside of them; of course, the bugs weren’t a natural inhabitant of the Pacific Northwest, but it wouldn’t have been hard to get some delivered. In addition to the lanterns, there were ribbons that hung from the branches of the smaller trees, and attached to them were floating candles. The ground was covered with rune-carved stones to keep any evil out of the house itself.

  I reached down to pick one of the runes up and ran my thumb over the smooth surface. I replaced the rune where it belonged in order to keep the warding spell up, and moved up the path to the manor.

  With my mask in place, and my walls erected around my emotions, I focused on the entryway of the house. I was so focused on the house that when a dark shape moved from the shadows I almost didn’t see him. I felt him, though; my heart raced and my stomach did a somersault as my eyes met his. I could feel immense power as it pushed from him and wafted over my body.

  He stood with the lights behind him, his face masked by the shadows. Instincts said to turn around and back away from this man slowly. He wasn’t from around here, but with the Awakening looming in the near future, there were bound to be those from outside of our coven in town for the celebrations.

  It wasn’t until recently that our coven had begun interacting with the other nearby covens. I’d heard rumors of it before I’d left. The elders had been entertaining the merit of allowing witches and warlocks from other covens to the Awakening celebrations; something about new blood in the coven or something like that, which was pretty liberal thinking for our very conservative coven. Of course, they’d accepted outsiders before, like Helen.

  The man in front of me was thirtyish, six and a half feet tall, if not more, with dark hair which lightly dusted over his shoulders, impeccably managed, with not a single strand out of place. He had well-defined features chiseled into masculine perfection, with eyes that didn’t just look into your soul. No. His eyes slipped inside, took notes, looked at all your darkest secrets and erotic fantasies, and then brought them to the surface when he was finished.

  He was decked out in an expensive black suit, probably Italian, tailored to fit his massive size perfectly. A crisp white shirt peeked out from beneath the suit, and a tie, crimson in color finished off his ensemble. This man didn’t occupy space; he consumed and dominated it.

  This wasn’t a man I wanted to know; the lethalness that I felt from him set all my warning bells off, as well as every part of me that was woman. My girly places perked up, as if they sensed just how fucked they’d be if he tried to get too close. It was downright embarrassing that my body was itching for him to soothe its needs. This man was the type you stayed away from; that predatory gaze promised that he could chew you up, and little would remain when he was finished.

  He watched me silently. It unnerved me, and the moment I took another step closer to the door, so, too, did he. I paused, watching as he closed the distance between us. My mind tried to remain focused on him while my body heated up like a volcano ready to erupt. My cheeks turned crimson to match his tie as I realized that even though he was a total stranger, my body didn’t care. He hadn’t spoken a single word. He didn’t need to; the look and heat banked in his eyes said it all. I swallowed air, needing it in my starved lungs, unaware that I’d stopped breathing as I watched the man.

  The way he was watching me was unsettling, as if he had X-ray vision and could sense my response to him, and that, too, was not comforting. I retreated a step, trying to remain at a safe distance from him, to no avail. He closed the distance easily, until he was standing right in front of me. My body trembled, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

  He still said nothing and the instant his hand lifted and his thumb trailed over my bottom lip, I knew I was in trouble. A smarter person would have stopped him. A smarter girl would allow self-preservation to take charge and run from whoever this man was. Obviously I’d lost my self-control along with my brains, because I stood rooted to the ground, as if I’d exchanged my feet for actual roots.

  Something about him was familiar, but even as my brain itched to remember, his mouth lowered to mine and all coherent thoughts went out the window. Flesh to flesh, his power slithered over my body, and the moment his tongue pushed past my lips, I was lost.

  It was like being woken up by a power line that fell on my house. There was the electricity that shot through me, the multitude of emotions that roared to life as his kiss deepened, and then there was my primal response. It felt as if he was the conductor and my body was the symphony that he controlled. Like an out of control train, he derailed my mind. Cataclysmic event of a major catastrophe, his lips rocked my world and made my knees weaken, and just from a kiss.

  Lights flashed behind my eyes, awareness dawned, and I pushed his massive body away. Shock and awe woke me up. “You kissed me,” I whispered breathlessly.

  He smiled, but it wasn’t the kind that pulls a smile from you, as it was faintly mocking and challenging. I’ve seen men look at women as he was looking at me right now. As if he was the hunter and I, his kill. I looked at him, really took him in.

  He was letting me size him up and I wondered why. I couldn’t look away from him. It was as if I was watching a car racing to cross the tracks with a speeding train coming right at it. I knew I shouldn’t watch it, but the brain is a morbid thing; it needs to see it. Needs to watch what happens, learn from it. Fucked up thing, the mind is.

  A couple walked by us, either so enamored of each other that they didn’t see us, or they were ignoring us. Stupid asses; love was the one thing that could tear you down and cut you open. I knew that helpless, cold, detached feeling that she’d soon feel. If this means I’m screwed up for thinking all men are dogs, I don’t care. I was a brick house. Brick houses were me. Walls have been built to protect me, brick walls with mortar that was infallible. Or so I had always believed. Why did I feel him?

  I turned my eyes back and watched him. I didn’t know what to make of him, or how he’d dented my walls, or why. Who walks up to a total stranger and kisses them? He does. I tried to move past him, but his hand slipped up and touched my cheek and I stalled. Like a car on the freeway with others rushing by me.

  I was thankful for the mask, and all that it concealed. I reached up to remove his hand and sparks flew. I hissed at the array of emotions that ran deep inside of me. I pushed him away, hand and all, and moved to the door. I had things to do, and he wasn’t on that list.

  Who was he? Why did he kiss me? Questions without answers always drove me insane, but I didn’t have time for him, or those questions. I was late and I told myself I could do this; I was doing it. I entered through the doors, made my way to the grand staircase, and paused hesitantly.

  It was my last chance to turn around and leave town before anyone realized I was back. I stiffened my spine, pushed my arms back, shoulders high, and moved down the stairs to the lower level where the ballroom was. I could already sense Kendra’s presence, which meant she sensed me as well. Twins have a bond, one unlike anything else in this world.

  I missed her, like the forest missed rain in a drought. She was the sun to my moon, the one I shared a womb with for eight months; was supposed to be nine but we broke out early together. My eyes drifted to the candle in the window, and I smiled.

  They hadn’t given up on me; I often worried that they would. I might have, had it been they who left me. Three years would feel like a lifetime without them. I lifted my hand, blew towards the candle, and watched as it flickered and went out. I saw her before she saw me. She was wearing a shimmering white dress that made her caramel colored blonde hair pop in contrast. Good choice, almost as good as silver. Light blue eyes the color of the ocea
n in a turbulent storm drifted to the stairs where I stood, waiting.

  Twins are an anomaly in our world, but identical twins are unheard of. The elders worried that one of us only held minimal powers, and thought we were wild cards. Wild cards need to be played, that’s what my grandfather always said. Wild cards could be a good thing. He’d told me when the elders had come to the estate and what they had said.

  I’d been terrified of what they’d had to say, and for the first time in my life, I knew what it felt to be afraid of losing her. What if I had all of the magic and she’d resented me for it? Or vice versa? Could the bond we shared make it so that we had to be together to cast? So many questions had been posed that day when they’d paid my mother a visit and voiced their concerns.

  It wasn’t until our twelfth birthday that I got my first result with magic, even though I’d spent years before it trying to figure out if I was going to be powerless. I had been upset about something my mother had said and I threw a huge fit, one that made the lights fizzle and blink on and off. Three days after that, Kendra blew the electrical panel of the manor house.

  Those little incidents had the elders predicting that she held more power, and while I held some, it wouldn’t be enough for the ancestors to bless me with a strong mate for the Harvest. The ancestors would choose the strongest pairings which resulted in lifelong arrangements occasionally. Married couples were exempt from the ritual. It was why I’d first decided to marry Todd, since his bloodline was powerful, and we’d already liked each other. Falling in love with him hadn’t been hard, either.

  “Lost inside your head?” Kendra’s words pulled me to the present and I smiled as I hugged my sister.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered.

  “I thought we’d lost you, but somehow I knew you’d come back to us when you were ready.”

  “Magdalena,” my mother whispered through thick tears. “Oh, you’re home!” she cried as she hugged both me and Kendra on the stairs, uncaring that we could all teeter and fall down.

  I pushed up my walls to hold back the emotions, but held on to them as if I was afraid I’d wake up and be back on the coast, alone. I finally pulled away as I felt eyes on us. Up at the top of the stairs, in the shadows, was the man who’d kissed me. Below us was an entire room full of onlookers, most already knew who I was.

  Our eyes locked, and for the briefest moment, his eyes flickered even though he was in the shadows, and I blinked. Ocular illusion? I wasn’t sure, and I normally tried not to assume anything, but something was bothering me about him, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “You outdid yourself, Mother,” I said without looking away from the stranger.

  “It’s an honor to be chosen to hold the opening celebration of the Awakening, so we went all out,” she admitted. “Cost a pretty penny.” A penny she probably didn’t have, but she wouldn’t have turned down this honor.

  “It’s beautiful,” I replied, wondering what the others were thinking of us, and, as if she noticed it too, my mother indicated that we should join the crowd with a wave of her hand.

  “You’re just in time for the unmasking,” she announced. “I’d been holding it off in hope that you’d make it here before we did it.”

  “The unmasking?” I asked, as I held both her and my sister’s hands as we walked to where the crowd had gathered. I looked at Kendra and smiled.

  Normally, I’d know everything about the ceremony, but I wasn’t old enough to participate when the last one happened. I knew the important things, and had kept a mental checklist, but this was new to me, and the elder’s longwinded voice message hadn’t mentioned this. Obviously I should have come home early to make sure I was ready for everything.

  My mother dropped my hand as she clapped loudly to gain the attention of the large crowd. It took her a few moments, but eventually they quieted, and the other girls joined us on the large hardwood floor of the ballroom.

  “I’d like to welcome the witches and warlocks who will lead us into the next generations and wish them fertility and powers from the Goddess Hecate. Blessed be,” she said and the crowd repeated her last words. “I’d like to call those who are eligible to participate in the ritual this year to the floor for the unmasking of the postulants of Haven Crest who have joined us for the Awakening this year.”

  I watched as about thirty young men and women stepped onto the floor with me and Kendra, and noted that Cassidy, Kat, and Sophia were all eligible as well. My eyes searched the crowd for Carolina, but she wasn’t here, or she was out of sight. Todd, however, was right in front of me. His gentle brown eyes watched me with something that was akin to regret.

  I mentally slapped more mortar on my mental bricks. Walls don’t fail me now!

  “Without further ado, I give you the postulants of the Awakening,” my mother said before she moved into the crowd and stood right next to the man who was watching us. Luckily, his eyes weren’t on me this time.

  I reached up and released the bow that held the silver mask in place and turned to watch as Kendra did the same. A semi-hush fell over those from out of town as we returned our focus to the men who now crowded the front of the group.

  Mystery man looked confused; his eyes slipped from me and then to Kendra a few times before they settled back on me. I wondered if he searched for the difference between us. There was a physical difference, but it was almost imperceptible.

  “Who do you like?” Kendra asked as her eyes searched through the men.

  “No one,” I announced with a sideways glance at the man who’d kissed me.

  “Not him,” she whispered in a hushed tone. “That’s Lucian Blackstone, and he’s not here to make a match with any of us. He’s doing business with the coven, and the elders. Draven is looking good,” she continued.

  “Then why is he here?” I asked as my eyes locked with his and a shiver trailed down my spine.

  “He owns some exclusive club right outside Metaline Falls. It’s a little crazy; the thing went up basically overnight. The elders have seemed to accept him, though, and you know the rules.”

  “You don’t question the elders,” I mumbled.

  “Todd’s been asking about you, and he and Cassidy never dated,” she whispered as she placed a hand to comfort me on my shoulder.

  “Todd isn’t anywhere on my list,” I stated.

  My eyes landed on Lucian and my pulse leapt. His eyes remained on me as well, and right beside him was Todd, with his eyes watching my every move as he anticipated what would happen next.

  Chapter Four

  I had expected Todd to be here, and I’d expected that slice of pain to rip me apart, and yet I felt nothing. I waited, expecting it to come. Any moment now I would feel that cold, gutted reaction that I’d felt when I’d caught him screwing Cassidy. Only it never came.

  My eyes left him and settled on Lucian, who watched me intently. My heart skipped and restarted with an alarming beat that I was afraid he could hear from where I stood across the room from him. I felt his eyes as they slid over me without even bothering to hide the hungry look in their inky depths. His eyes reminded me of a wolf who was sizing up its prey.

  A soft blush spread across my face as I realized my eyes had been doing the same as his, sizing him up and finding nothing lacking. He wore the suit perfectly; each well-defined curve of his body was visible even in the dimly lit room.

  I was so caught up in this man that I didn’t realize Todd had moved until I felt his hand on my cheek, and turned to look at him. His mouth crushed against mine before I knew his intentions, and instinct—or self-preservation—kicked in and I pushed him away.

  “What the hell?” I whispered angrily. I wiped my mouth off with the back of my hand and felt angry tears as they started to rise with the knowledge that half of the room was now watching our exchange. Including Lucian.<
br />
  “I fucked up, Magdalena, I know it, but not a day has gone by since you left that I haven’t thought about you.”

  I waited for my heart to ache, or shatter, but nothing happened. The only emotion I felt was anger, and that was because he’d kissed me. Here, in a crowded room with men I could potentially be paired up with at the ritual.

  Before I could reply, he’d dragged me out onto the dance floor as hushed whispers went up at the sight of us together.

  “This isn’t a good idea,” I hissed beneath my breath.

  “I don’t care what they say,” Todd replied as he tried to lower his mouth to mine. I turned my head away from him.

  “Kiss me again, Flanagan, and I’ll cut your lips off,” I warned.

  “I’m a good choice for the ritual, Lena. Your mother will approve of me, and I am sure our ancestors will bless us as well,” he assured me.

  “I don’t want you back,” I said after I’d managed to shut down the anger. I looked at him and shook my head. “You didn’t just screw up, Todd, you lost me forever. Doesn’t matter what the ancestors say—you and I? It’s never going to happen, ever. I think the ancestors will take that into consideration during the ritual; they wouldn’t be that cruel, I’m sure.”

  “No, I’ll fight for you; you will be my wife.”

  “You lost that chance when you screwed someone else on my bed. You’d be fighting me, Todd, because I’m the only thing that stands between us getting back together. It took me a long time to figure it out, but the truth is I don’t love you anymore. I thought if I faced you tonight, that it would hurt. It doesn’t, I feel nothing. The pain isn’t there anymore, so maybe you saved us both from making a big mistake.”