CHAPTER SEVEN
Calista
Wednesdays were a religious holiday for Gina and me. Our favorite show posted to the streaming app that she, Kaiden, and I shared. Before we settled in to indulge on snacks and sexy vampires, I went about cleaning and putting away groceries that were delivered to my doorstep. Then, I moved on to gathering the laundry for tomorrow’s pickup. It was a service I hated taking advantage of since my car didn’t run. Another bill siphoning my precious funds. I guess my wish for money would go ungranted. Figured.
I grabbed the bags from the floor of my nearly empty closet and tossed them on my bed. That familiar pulsing struck me immediately, as if searching me out. The second I felt it, a chord trilled inside me and resonated through my body. Intoxicating. No. I refused to let myself feel anything but disgust, especiallyafter his little mirror trick. Chills of shame followed swift on its heels. I rubbed at my arms to rid myself of both feelings that drove me insane for years before I stopped wearing the damned thing then hid it.
“Calista.”
I spun so fast I wasn’t sure if it was the voice or my movement that lodged my heart in my throat. There was no one behind me.
“Kaiden?” I called out and went back to the living room. Empty. “I am losing it.”
Light footfalls thumped in my bedroom, and I whipped back around. A shadow moved over the hallway wall coming from inside my room before the door creaked. “What the hell….”
I tiptoed toward it. The door, previously open, stood ajar. And I wasn’t sure, but it looked like it swayed an inch or so. I focused intently, but it didn’t do anything but make my eyes hurt.
I glanced back down the hall, gauging my ability to make a run for it. My front door was locked. That would take extra time to get open. I needed to be ninja silent. I started back down the hall on those same tiptoes, silencing the part of my brain that screamed at me to run. I fought every muscle in my body to move slower and purposely when the floor creaked behind me.
We all have those moments. Fight or flight. Depending on the situation, we never know what we will do. At that moment, my body froze and the loud-ass voice in my mind silenced. A pin dropping would be excruciating. The hairs on my neck prickled to standing.
The door opened again. This would be the moment most people hightailed it out of there. Me? I grew a backbone of bravery built on fear. It’s not sturdy, in case you were wondering. As quiet as a mouse, I returned to the door and listened. The only sounds I could hear were my refrigerator and the cord of the ceiling fan clicking as it spun.
“Hello?” I said quietly as I stepped into the room. My equilibrium felt off, and I wobbled. Trees surrounded me. I knew this place. My heart raced, and I couldn’t catch my breath. There was only one… being… who could completely rewrite reality and screw with my head. I bolted to the door without caring wherehewas. It slammed shut and vanished before I could reach it.
His voice tinkled as he called to me, similar to the necklace, almost tickling my eardrums. I resisted the urge to reach up and rub them. I could sense his presence all around me, waiting for me to turn and find him.
I want your firstborn child.
My hands flew to my stomach as the tears pricked my eyes. The test was faulty. He offered me an easy out, a choice to join him, and I refused it. Now he was playing with me like a cat plays with its dinner. He planned to take me from the exact place he took my brother.
My entire world began to crumble beneath me. I swayed and nearly dropped to my knees. This had to be one of the nightmares plaguing me lately. It’s so real, though, I thought and steadied myself against a tree. I shouldn’t be here. This place doesn’t exist anymore. It was bulldozed after grandma died and turned into a subdivision.
Movement in my periphery startled me, and I juked behind a tree and peeked out. Black horns emerged from a dark shadow within the cluster. I didn’t need to see what was inside. I didn’t forget all the crazy I encountered in the labyrinth.
His oddly distant, whispered voice came again, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”
Rough bark bit into my forehead as I hid against the tree. Was I breathing too loud? Could he hear my heart thundering against my ribcage? The whooshing in my ears made it impossible to listen for his steps.
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
With courage the size of a mustard seed, I peeked around the tree. He wasn’t there. I looked over my shoulder. All clear. When I looked the other way, a black horned mask was mere inches from my face. I screamed. Then I ran.
This was not a dream. If it were, the bits of rock wouldn’t dig into my soles. The twigs slapping my face wouldn’t hurt. No, this was very fucking real. I took off down the trails that I knew like the back of my hand. Most of my childhood was spent at grandma’s house playing in these woods. I knew every nook and cranny, every hiding spot, and every exit which I navigated toward. If the woods were here, so was her house. At least I hoped so. But every time I checked behind me, he was there, motionless, yet gaining ground. I was trapped in a horror movie, and he was my personal Michael Meyers.
I skidded to a halt when he appeared in front of me out of nowhere. His crossed arms and wide stance said he was done with my fleeing. I wet my lips and looked around. We were right back where we started.
Did I miss the exit? No, I swear I turned onto it.
“This is a dream,” I croaked. “Another horrible nightmare.”
That creepy Cheshire smile came over his face, nearly touching the edges of his equally creepy mask before returning to normal. “You dream of me.” His melodic voice held a trill with an accent I’d never heard anywhere else, except from him.
“No.” I shook my head so hard my brain rattled. “No, I don’t.”
His eyes twinkled as he stepped closer. “I don’t believe you.”
Electricity danced over me, tickling my skin in the most delicious way. I leaned in to feel more of it before catching myself and shuffling back to put more space between us. “Don’t use magic on me.”
