Page 1 of The Banshee’s Unmistakable Love

The Banshee’s Unmistakable Love

WISTERIA WOODS

BRIAR

Blair never told me that Zander was returning to town. I’m unprepared when I spot him for the first time, and even more so when he approaches me.

Then he calls me Blair, and my brain seems to turn off. So, what do I do? Not correct him.

Stupidly, I pretend I am, in fact, my sister. Each moment spent with him afterward makes my childhood crush grow stronger—but my heart breaks a bit more each time.

Can he really not tell the difference between Blair and me?

We keep spending time together, and now I’m in too deep. I have to figure out how to tell him I’ve been lying about who I am this entire time. Even thinking of the outcome scares me.

Will I break his trust far past repair, or will he reciprocate the feelings that I’ve been hiding since childhood?

ZANDER

Getting back to my hometown after being away for four years feels great. I’m excited to go to my favorite local restaurants, see my childhood best friend Blair, and her twin sister—who I’ve been crushing on since the sixth grade.

They may be identical, but there’s no mistaking Briar from Blair. Briar is everything I want, but have never been able to reach.

So, when I get to town and she’s the first person I see, I’m flooded with the same feelings I had when I left. What I don’t expect is for Briar to pretend to be her sister when I jokingly call her Blair.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I decide to play along with her game of pretend. The more time I spend with her, the more my heart longs for her.

I can’t wait for this silly little game to be over so we can stop pretending and I can tell her how I’ve always felt.

Welcome to Spice-tember! "The Banshee's Unmistakable Love" is the perfect steamy short to start off your spooky season.

Chapter 1

WHY DID I DO THAT?

BRIAR

There’s a cool breeze in the air today, one that slides over any bit of exposed skin like silk. Fall is here, various shades of orange contrasting against the lilacs of the wisteria trees. The tips of my pointed ears have a tenderness to them from the chill.

It might be time for a hat soon—I can wear the one that’s crocheted in the same colors as the beautiful trees around me.

Gods bless the witch who created the eternal wisteria saplings. I can’t imagine only seeing them bloom for a few weeks. The park is my favorite place to be, if I had to limit my time…that would be tragic.

The wisteria woods that surround town encase us in their elegance. We have trails through the innermost part of the forest, but they don’t go very deep. If you go too far off the trails, the satyrs who guard the woods will come see what you’re up to.

Usually, they don’t tell us townsfolk to leave—kids like to play, families go for picnics—but if you’re up to no good…

I wouldn’t want to fight with a satyr. Especially one who’s imbued with power from the eternal wisterias, and whose job is to protect the sacred trees.

The place I like to sit and tuck myself away won’t register on the satyrs’ radars. Besides, in the bounds of town, there’s a committee that protects the trees so the satyrs can focus on the woods exclusively.

I flip the page of my book and slink deeper against the base of the tree. It blocks a lot of the breeze, letting me enjoy the story without shivering too much. Soon, I’ll have to break out my jacket, but I’m not mentally ready to do that yet.

As I get more engrossed in the story between my fingers, the world around me feels as if it’s fading away. All the noises seem to quiet—the rustle of tree branches, gravel crunching beneath the shoes of people walking along the path, even the pages turning.

Hours go by, the sun beginning to set above me. The only reason I even notice that so much time has passed is because I’m finished my book, so the real world comes back into focus.

Maybe the way my stomach growls also has something to do with my realization.