down and offered the little thing my finger. As I got closer I realized he stood on an envelope. The bird hopped on my finger as though it had no fear of people at all. At the same time, I picked up the envelope.
"Man, I don't know where y'all are coming from, but I'm running out of room," I said as I placed him on my other shoulder. I flipped the envelope or what I assumed to be a letter over. There was a small red wax seal. It was that of the Coven. I flipped it to the front and saw my name scribed in Mil's handwriting. It was the letter. I tore into it in a hurry. Clearly, my flighty friends did not approve of the sudden movement due to their sudden squawking. When I opened the letter, there was an old nursery rhyme written on it. It was about the Magpie. Oh, that's what these birds are. The number of them had a meaning. I scanned the nursery rhyme: Two for joy. The two birds leapt into the air and flitted about me. Just before one darted away, he dropped something on my head. Fearing the worst, my hands flew to my hair. I didn't find something wet, but something hard. I pulled it off my head to inspect what the little bird had dropped. It was a small gold coin. One side had a spoked wheel and the other had the face of a bear. The coin melted into my skin, disappearing.
My eyes flew open and I was panting. I raised a hand to my head, but there was nothing there. Then I pulled my hands down to view them. No coin, nothing. What the crap kind of dream was that? I pressed my hand to my heart in reflex. My heart was racing as though I’d just run a marathon. I looked over at the small clock at my bedside table. It read 11 p.m. I frowned at the time. Had Mark been by and I just slept through it? No. I tried to brush off the sense of unease I was feeling.
I would say I was getting so sick of these weird-ass dreams, but it was a welcome distraction. I’d not had a single dream like I used to have since I was turned. It weirded me out to think that the strange man who had been present in nearly all of my dreams since I was a child was suddenly gone. Hell, when I woke up from my so-called death, I didn’t know if I still had my power. This felt like a dream from him, the strange man. Next time I see him, I’ll have to ask for his name.
Delaney, you do realize how insane that sounds right? Great, now I’m talking to myself .
A brisk knock sounded at the door. I heard the clicks and slides for the locks. Then without waiting for a response, Mark rushed into the room. He only carried a wrapped sandwich. He looked wild-eyed and frantic.
“Geez, Mark. What if I’d been naked? And you're late,” I chided in a flippant tone. I was trying to lighten the mood he had just dragged about ten feet down. The truth was, he looked uneasy and it was making me worry.
“Listen, I don't have much time. I slipped something in Mitch's food. It was tasteless and odorless. It had some silver in it so he won’t heal, just as you didn't. I’ll help you as much as I can, but you have to incapacitate him. You can't kill him, neither can I, but you can knock him down for a time and then you'll ..." His words were coming in rapid succession, yet with the last word he trailed off trying to stifle a wince.
“What, Mark?” My words were just as hurried and frantic as his were.
"You're going to have to nearly kill me. Or he won't believe I didn't help you."
I sucked in a breath. Shit, I did not want to hurt him. Not now, anyway. If I’d been asked about a month ago, I would have said I would have used him as a human lightning rod. In that moment, I wasn't so sure I could.
He placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed them.
“Look, you need to get close to him. Like really close.”
His gaze was flickering from brown to green and back again. How close did I need to get?
My eyes narrowed, then widened, “Fuck.”
“He’s going to be on guard if you come on too strong, but yes, Delaney, you need to catch him with his guard down.”
I
"Man, I don't know where y'all are coming from, but I'm running out of room," I said as I placed him on my other shoulder. I flipped the envelope or what I assumed to be a letter over. There was a small red wax seal. It was that of the Coven. I flipped it to the front and saw my name scribed in Mil's handwriting. It was the letter. I tore into it in a hurry. Clearly, my flighty friends did not approve of the sudden movement due to their sudden squawking. When I opened the letter, there was an old nursery rhyme written on it. It was about the Magpie. Oh, that's what these birds are. The number of them had a meaning. I scanned the nursery rhyme: Two for joy. The two birds leapt into the air and flitted about me. Just before one darted away, he dropped something on my head. Fearing the worst, my hands flew to my hair. I didn't find something wet, but something hard. I pulled it off my head to inspect what the little bird had dropped. It was a small gold coin. One side had a spoked wheel and the other had the face of a bear. The coin melted into my skin, disappearing.
My eyes flew open and I was panting. I raised a hand to my head, but there was nothing there. Then I pulled my hands down to view them. No coin, nothing. What the crap kind of dream was that? I pressed my hand to my heart in reflex. My heart was racing as though I’d just run a marathon. I looked over at the small clock at my bedside table. It read 11 p.m. I frowned at the time. Had Mark been by and I just slept through it? No. I tried to brush off the sense of unease I was feeling.
I would say I was getting so sick of these weird-ass dreams, but it was a welcome distraction. I’d not had a single dream like I used to have since I was turned. It weirded me out to think that the strange man who had been present in nearly all of my dreams since I was a child was suddenly gone. Hell, when I woke up from my so-called death, I didn’t know if I still had my power. This felt like a dream from him, the strange man. Next time I see him, I’ll have to ask for his name.
Delaney, you do realize how insane that sounds right? Great, now I’m talking to myself .
A brisk knock sounded at the door. I heard the clicks and slides for the locks. Then without waiting for a response, Mark rushed into the room. He only carried a wrapped sandwich. He looked wild-eyed and frantic.
“Geez, Mark. What if I’d been naked? And you're late,” I chided in a flippant tone. I was trying to lighten the mood he had just dragged about ten feet down. The truth was, he looked uneasy and it was making me worry.
“Listen, I don't have much time. I slipped something in Mitch's food. It was tasteless and odorless. It had some silver in it so he won’t heal, just as you didn't. I’ll help you as much as I can, but you have to incapacitate him. You can't kill him, neither can I, but you can knock him down for a time and then you'll ..." His words were coming in rapid succession, yet with the last word he trailed off trying to stifle a wince.
“What, Mark?” My words were just as hurried and frantic as his were.
"You're going to have to nearly kill me. Or he won't believe I didn't help you."
I sucked in a breath. Shit, I did not want to hurt him. Not now, anyway. If I’d been asked about a month ago, I would have said I would have used him as a human lightning rod. In that moment, I wasn't so sure I could.
He placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed them.
“Look, you need to get close to him. Like really close.”
His gaze was flickering from brown to green and back again. How close did I need to get?
My eyes narrowed, then widened, “Fuck.”
“He’s going to be on guard if you come on too strong, but yes, Delaney, you need to catch him with his guard down.”
I
Similar Books
