by Beth Caudill
Vithar didn’t know how to embrace life anymore. How to throw off the melancholy thoughts that spiraled within his head. He desperately missed his twin’s thoughts. Knowing that they would protect each other against any threat.
The curse hadn’t changed their ability. The block developed over the decades, as impotent rage and self-loathing hounded them. A self-defense measure meant to limit their exposure to each other’s resentment before it became something worse that neither knew how to counter.
Vithar’s reality had transformed into a desolate existence. The desolation that rooted in his heart on that fateful day over a century ago had grown until emptiness filled him. He wanted to feel something, even the lashing fury of rage.
Launching himself into the air, he screamed his frustration to the skies. He needed to put distance between himself and barely tolerable friends he wanted to attack with his razor-sharp talons. He flapped his wings with strong beats and raced away from the lake and the center of town.
His family’s futures appeared bleak, yet the curse would end. The perpetual cycle of dual lives would conclude. Even if they didn’t get a happily ever after.
Anything was better than the numbness of his current existence.
He flew hard. Stretched his feathers to catch the fleetest winds. Worked his muscles until he couldn’t maintain flight. Gliding onto a perch, he preened his feathers in a beam of sunlight, tucked his beak into his chest, and let exhaustion lull him to sleep.
Later, the chunky pop of a sputtering engine disturbed his rest. He peered through the pine needles at a deep metallic-red convertible stopped on the bypass. Inside, a woman with flaxen hair in ringlets down to her shoulders banged the steering wheel. She shone with a golden hue like a sparkly cloak of sunlight.
Inexplicably drawn to her, he hop-glided to a tall pine situated right next to the road. She pushed the start button on the keyless ignition, and the engine ground once, then went silent. Humidity saturated the atmosphere, adding a suffocating presence to the empty farmland.
“Wonderful.” Her gaze directed heavenward. “Really, you’re stranding me in the middle of nowhere?”
The car made more noises as she fiddled with the controls. The wind shifted away from him, and he missed her next statements. He didn’t think it unusual for her to be talking to herself. He knew many stranger things existed in the world. She climbed from the car, lifted the hood, poked at the wires, and banged on the metal. In between the clanging, he heard her mention “vacation” several times.
He felt sorry that her trip was put on hold, but excitement fluttered in his chest. For the first time in a long time, he had hope.
“Fremont.” He battered against his brother’s mental shield. “Send Bob with the tow truck to eastbound Clayton Bypass about two miles before the Willows Haven exit.”
“I’m trying to come up with an article to fill in space. It’s been positively boring this week.” Despite being older by a few minutes, his brother sounded like a whiny two-year-old.
“Then, a walk up the street will help,” Vithar retorted, exasperated by his twin. “You could always try to get the secret recipe to Marion’s peach cobbler again.”
“Ha ha. Being denied dessert at Cherries and Berries isn’t gonna happen. You can try to pry that secret from her. You’re the charmer, anyway.”
“I’m not stupid enough to try.” Not after Marion had withheld her blackberry crumble from Freemont a few years ago.
“Bob should be there in about fifteen minutes. Don’t molt your feathers.”
Vithar shut down their connection before he said something offensive. Talking to his brother was an exercise in tolerance, something neither of them seemed to possess anymore. It shredded his heart that their relationship had deteriorated.
And that he couldn’t let go of the anger inside himself. That it seethed, waiting for another chance to engulf them in a battle that they both would lose.
He let out a frustrated hoot.
The woman turned and glanced around. “Hello there.” She sounded relieved. “At least I’m not alone. Isn’t it a bit early for you to be awake?”
He lifted his feathers in an attempt to imitate a shrug.
“Too bad this isn’t a fantasy novel. I could send a message with you and get some help.”
He gave a low, long hoot. Her laughter eased the chill encompassing him. Filled the hollow spaces in his bones with the warmth of a fuzzy blanket.
Gravel crunched as Bob eased his truck in front of her car. He jumped from the cab but remained next to the door. “Hey, I see you’re having some trouble? I’m Bob Sweet from Sweet’s Oil and Chrome Auto Shop. Need some help, Miss?” Slouching, Bob tried to appear smaller than he was, but there was no hiding the towering bear shifter’s presence.
“I…Maybe. How did you know I was out here?”
Bob glanced at Vithar before responding. “My partner and I patrol the road. We wouldn’t want anyone stuck here overnight.”
Vithar wanted her to accept the assistance. Wanted her in Willows Haven. Needed her to be where he could see her. Talk to her. Maybe…just maybe be able to kiss her, to touch her hair, and discover if those curls felt as silky as they looked.
He sailed down to the boom, gripped the metal arm, and hooted in an attempt to reassure her.
“Should I trust him?” She sounded a bit skeptical yet wanted his judgment.
He banged his beak against the metal three times. There was something magical about the number three.
“Can I take a look?” Bob had the patience of a bird guarding his nest. He loved to work on cars, and Vithar knew the man couldn’t wait to look at the Buick Cascada.
She narrowed her eyes at Bob. “I guess. How far to the nearest town?”
“Not too far, Miss. The next exit is about two miles.” Bob stepped closer, resting his hand on the back edge of the truck.
“All right, let’s go. The sooner you can fix it, the quicker I’ll get to enjoy the ocean.”
“Right ho, Miss. Get your things and hop in the front. It’ll only take a minute to hitch her up.”
Vithar took flight and flew low over Bob’s head. A warning to treat her right, before he took to the air.
“Guess he’s a bit territorial,” she said.
Bob eyed her and then glanced at the circling owl. “More so than I expected.” He began to unhook the chains. “Let’s get you settled in town.”
Vithar followed them until Bob drove into Willows Haven. Then he followed the impetus to meet his brother. It was time for them to change.
Afterward, he’d find a way to introduce himself to the town’s newest occupant.
Leyna Angelheardt enjoyed the freedom of the wind whipping through her hair as her dark red convertible sped down the highway. She drove toward the beach, a much-needed vacation her bosses agreed to after she’d failed the last three teenagers she’d guarded. Two had succumbed to the social pressures of gangs, and both died before they were twenty. Her last charge went the other way, internalizing his pain, and overdosed on heroin.
No guardian angel was expected to be successful one hundred percent of the time. Humans had free will. Angels could manipulate dreams, whispers suggestions on the wind, and occasionally interfere in human form. But humans still made the ultimate decisions on the life path they walked.
However, after three loses, her heart needed a break.
Her hands flexed on the grip of the steering wheel as the wound on her soul pricked at the serenity she tried to cultivate. Doubt, fear, and sorrow ate away at the fizzy happiness that usually bubbled within her. She needed to bask in the sunlight and let her desolation melt away.
Speeding around Raleigh on the beltline, she headed east toward the beach. A break to gather her energy. Some time to unwind and maybe rediscover her reasons for protecting the youth with the greatest potential amongst the humans.
The tinkling sounds of a harp directed her off Interstate 40 to a bypass just before the Johnston county line. N
ot a GPS direction, but a summons she had to follow. She drove along a deserted road flanked by groups of trees and then large patches of farmland.
Inexplicably, her car sputtered and clanged to a stop along a lonely stretch of dense trees. She banged her hand against the steering wheel. Sunlight peeked from behind the clouds and heated her skin. “Wonderful.” She focused her gaze heavenward. “Really. You’re stranding me in the middle of nowhere?”
Pressing the ignition button produced a short grinding sound. Then nothing. She started at the dash, willing the car to start. “This was my vacation, you vagabonds. I’m supposed to be at the beach. Not stuck here in No Man’s Land.”
She climbed out of the car. Kicking the tires because it made her feel good, she next opened the front hood and stared at the engine. She knew nothing about cars, but this shouldn’t have happened. The archangels had assured her of time away.
Stuck in the middle of the backwoods was not her idea of a good time.
It was not as if she could use a phone. Technology didn’t agree with a guardian’s aura. Car engines, at least until the more recent models, didn’t usually suffer the same ill effects that phones and computers did.
No, this disaster felt more like interference from her bosses.
If there had been another assignment for her, they should’ve said something. Not promised her a vacation and then left her in the middle of nowhere. That bothered her more than anything else.
She needed a rest, a chance to rebuild her reserves.
Not to play guardian to someone else.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She stepped back from the car and glanced around. Not a car or human in sight.
A movement in the trees to the left of her drew her eye. Hidden within the branches of a tree beside the road was a brown-stripped owl with a yellow hooked beak and intense dark brown, almost black eyes that stared back at her.
The intelligence in that gaze quickened her heart. She didn’t sense a physical threat—although she knew the razor-sharp talons would hurt—but something more intimate, which roused an unnerving curiosity.
“Hello there.” Wildlife she could deal with. Humans, not so much. “At least I’m not alone. Isn’t it a bit early for you to be awake?”
The bird spread his wings and flopped them around. Maybe he was dancing?
“Too bad this isn’t a fantasy novel. I could send a message with you and get some help.”
His deep hoot sounded offended. She couldn’t help but laugh. He’d added spark of levity to her situation.
Time drifted away as they regarded each other.
The crunch of gravel drew her attention to the road, and she watched a tow truck pull in front of her car. Unease gripped her heart. Help didn’t just appear for no reason. She backed away along the passenger side of the car.
“Hey, I see you’re having some trouble?” The tow truck operator hunched a bit, but he couldn’t hide his height or broad shoulders. His hair fell to his shoulders, and a full beard covered his face. “I’m Bob Sweet from Sweet’s Oil and Chrome Auto Shop. Need some help, Miss?” His voice rumbled as he stopped at her front bumper.
He reminded her of a menacing Grizzly Adams.
“I…Maybe.” Suspicion wasn’t in her nature, but this more-modern world held a lot of crazy people. Maybe she’d spent too much time watching horror movies with her previous charge, but she didn’t want to be an easy mark. “How did you know I was out here?”
The owl screeched and then flew down to land on the large tow arm.
Bob glanced toward the bird and then said, “My partner and I patrol the road. We wouldn’t want anyone stuck here overnight.”
His hesitation didn’t alleviate her fears. She glanced at the bird. “Should I trust him?” Crazy as it sounded, the owl exuded a masculine protectiveness she knew wouldn’t lead her astray.
He banged his beak against the metal three times. Guess that was the best she could hope for.
“Can I take a look?” Bob gestured toward her car.
“I guess.” Not as if she had many options. “How far to the nearest town?”
“Not too far, Miss. The next exit is about two miles.” Bob stepped closer, rested his hand on the back edge of the truck.
Fighting fate led her nowhere. Her only hope was that this detour didn’t take too long. “All right, let’s go. The sooner you can fix it, the quicker I’ll get to enjoy the ocean.”
“Right-ho, Miss. Get your things and hop in the front. It’ll only take a minute to hitch her up.”
The bird launched itself at the man’s head and then rose into the air.
“Guess he’s a bit territorial,” she said.
Bob eyed her and then glanced at the circling owl. “More so than I expected.” He began to unhook the chains. “Let’s get you settled in town.”
Leyna watched the small town of Willows Haven through the window of the tow truck, glimpsing homes through the thick forest. She wondered if there were any businesses at all when the truck turned onto what had to be the main road. Brick buildings lined the street, and bright signs showed many businesses, including a diner. The road ended at a row of houses. They turned left, and Bob pulled into an open garage.
“We’ll look at the car tomorrow,” he said, getting out of the truck. “There’s a bed-and-breakfast nearby. Do you need help carrying your bag?”
So much for her beachfront condo. “No. It’s just one bag. Which way to the bed-and-breakfast?”
He pointed off to the right. “It’s just up the road. The big white house.”
“Sounds perfect.”
2
The mechanic hadn’t been kidding about the place being large. It was two stories with dormers along the roofline. Five windows across the second story overlooked the wraparound porch, plus a small walkway leading to the garage. The house glowed in the soft light of spring’s early evening.
The white colonial aroused her angelic energy. It welcomed her. Beckoned her to enter, as if she belonged.
The guardian spirit within her sparked. Warmed her, pushed her to stay, to discover the secrets buried here. To listen to the whispers on the wind, the cries of sorrow and joy carried throughout the town. She shut her eyes and stifled the urge to invoke her powers.
This was not her place. Not her home. She was a wanderer, and duty called her elsewhere.
No matter the magic this town wove, she would resist and leave as soon as possible. Her hollow, empty heart echoed with the cries of the lost.
She had nothing left to give.
Leyna strode past the hanging welcome sign for the Witching Hour Refuge and then entered through the sky-blue wooden door. The hall was white—except for a vase of dried lavender on a wooden table along the wall, the decorative lines in the rug, and the back of the door that she closed. “Pristine” and “sterile” came to mind.
Off to the left was the dining room, with an empty table and a single cabinet for dishes. A few pictures of flowers decorated the walls.
Across the hall was a living room with sand-colored loungers and chairs. The pillows were shiny silver. All very neutral. Clean but devoid of life, of character.
Nothing to indicate the type of person who ran the bed-and-breakfast.
“Hello,” she called. Snooping wasn’t her way. “Anyone here?”
A tall, petite Asian-American woman walked into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. A frown marred her forehead. “May I help you?”
“I need a room for the night. Maybe longer?” She looked out the window. “Bob down the street said he wouldn’t be able to look at my car until the morning. I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town.”
Chestnut-colored eyes stared at Leyna as if weighing her. Whatever the woman searched for, she must have found it because she said, “I’m Daphne. Currently, all our rooms are available. It’s eighty-five dollars a night except the master suite which is ninety-nine, and I make breakfast in the mornings.”
“Sounds reasonabl
e. I’ll take one of the regular rooms.”
“Great. I need tonight’s payment upfront, and we can discuss your options tomorrow after you hear from Bob.”
Leyna provided her credit card and then followed Daphne up the stairs.
“You can choose any of the rooms.”
There were four spaces available: a master suite, two rooms about the same size with a bathroom in between—one faced the front of the inn and the other the back—and then a smaller accommodation overlooking the bay window into the back.
“I like the back corner. It has a nice view of the willows and lake.”
“Good choice.” Daphne placed Leyna’s bags at the foot of the bed. “Here is a key to the front door. You can come and go as needed. I have a room above the garage, so during the night, you won’t be disturbing me. If there is anything else you need, just let me know.”
Leyna rubbed her arms. The room was decorated in wood with soft green accents. A hint of lemon balm freshened the air. It was neat and tidy if a bit cold. “This looks impeccable.”
Her gaze kept straying to the view out back. “The willow trees glimmer in the fading sunlight.”
“They’ve been here since the town’s founding. Originally there were seven trees, but two were lost before I inherited this place.” Daphne’s voice carried a note of resignation.
Leyna’s stomach grumbled. The clock on the nightstand next to the bed read seven-thirty. “Is there somewhere I can grab a bite to eat?”
“The Cherries and Berries Diner is open all night. Three sisters own it, so one of them is always around. Good food. I’d recommend it for lunch, too. It’s not too far to walk up Main Street. The town is quiet; you’ll be safe walking after dark.”
“Thank you.” Leyna closed the door after Daphne left.
This wasn’t how she’d wanted her vacation to start, yet this place soothed the dissonance in her soul. Placing her suitcase on the bed, she hung up her blouses, put away her underthings, and left her toiletry bag on the bureau. At least she didn’t have to share the bathroom.
