Page 13 of Women Love Wraiths

Just as I closed my eyes, coldness settled on my skin. When I cracked them back open and looked around the dark room and everything was as usual. I pulled the blanket around my shoulders, turned over and drifted into a half-conscious state right before sleep. As I was falling deeper into slumber, the voice I longed for whispered, come to me.

When I startled awake later it was dark. I looked at the clock and it was nearly time for my shift. Something fell off the nightstand as I fumbled for my phone, and unlocked it to a missed call and two texts. One text was from Jenna, but the call and the other text were from my boss, Gloria.

The text read, Hey, tried to call. Brian noticed how tired you were while you helped him through check outs. Go ahead and stay home tonight. I’ll cover your shift.

Suddenly, I was very awake as a current jolted through my body. I sat up and typed a quick reply thanking Gloria for the cover. She would step in to help as well when people called out, but usually I jumped at the extra shifts. This time, I wasn’t going to argue. I let her take over, mainly because there was somewhere else I'd rather be.

I pulled into the church parking lot an hour later and shut off the car. When I opened the door, the cold seeped into the small Nissan with me.

That was odd.

The temperature didn’t usually drop until I was in the woods or the creature was near. It was never cold in the parking lot. As I walked toward the graveyard, the church loomed large on my left, almost as if it were judging me.

When I stepped through the gate, the breeze picked up and my brown hair fluttered around my ears. Halfway through the cemetery, I stopped in my tracks, the cold spearing me like an arrow. I looked back toward the parking lot to make sure no one was there. My breath caught when I turned back around as my creature loomed in front of me.

We stared at each other as the wind blew around us. Surprisingly, the creature broke the silence first. “You stayed away for days. Did I scare you?” Its voice was filled with lust, but also what seemed like a hint of remorse.

I swallowed, unsure of the right answer. Did it want me to be scared?

“No. I had to cover some shifts for my coworker and I’ve been too tired to do anything else,” I said, deciding to be honest.

The creature tilted its concealed head, the hood fluttering with the movement. “Miss me, little flame?”

My cheeks heated and I dropped my gaze to the ground. I nodded, the slight movement almost undetectable.

The creature flew to me, wrapping its arms around my body and trapping me in its embrace. “I missed you too, and I’m going to make sure you don’t stay away that long ever again.”

A hand tilted my chin up to the opening of the hood and the creature’s tongue slid out to trace my lips. It was like an ice cube on my skin, and its head dipped forward bringing the hood down around my face. Frigid lips met mine and the kiss felt more urgent than what I remembered from last time. Its tongue roamed every inch of my mouth and then entwined with my own.

When its mouth left mine and the hood pulled back, I whimpered at the loss of it. The creature released me and hovered back a few feet.

“Jade.”

I sucked in a breath at hearing my name in that cold voice. It was still very much androgynous but was higher this time like before.

“Jade, swear you won’t run.”

Despite the need to list all the reasons I wouldn’t, I only nodded. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but whatever was coming, I wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m not leaving,” I said into the crisp air.

The words settled between us and finally, the creature moved. It brought its hands up to either side of its hood, its sleeves falling away to reveal long gray hands. It slowly pushed the fabric back, and long dark hair spilled out around its shoulders as a gasp left my lips.

My creature was a woman.

Chapter 11

Well, she looked mostly like a woman. I didn’t know any other women who could hover, but then again, I didn’t get out much.

I stared in awe at the sight in front of me, my jaw on the ground. Black hair that almost reached the creature's waist rustled in the breeze. She wasn’t grotesque, but her features were hollow. Her face was the same ashen gray as her hands except small lines—almost like fissures—marred the edges, stopping before they crossed her face. My attention snagged on her eyes. The irises were obsidian set in a milky orb. They were haunting and entrancing.

“Wraith got your tongue, little flame?” she said.

Wraith? Was that what she was? Could I call it a she?

“Um,” I stammered. I had no idea what to say. I didn’t want to offend with ignorance or upset her. “I have so many questions. Are you a…wraith?”

I didn’t know a lot about wraiths other than reading about evil ones in a popular fantasy series when I was a kid. I’d heard the name on other occasions but I’d never paid much attention. I was too busy researching about vampires and shifters. Mentally, I kicked myself for not learning more about the fascinating creature before me.

“Very good,” she said. “That is what I am, although I gave you a hint. You didn’t figure it out on your own, did you?”