Page 11 of Taming the Wicked Wolf

He stares at me before turning on his heel and stomping down the pathway like a child.

I sigh, waving my hand, magic coiling between my fingertips, then easily pluck the bronze key out of thin air.

“You won’t be needing this.” I say, pocketing it.

As I close the door and lock it behind me, I’m left with more questions than answers. Something bothers me, I can’t put my finger on his motivation. Why is he going to such lengths to play these mind games? What is in it for him? What does he get out of it? It just doesn’t make sense.

All I do know is I feel completely helpless. I could have revealed myself to him, scared him, cursed him or killed him, but all of those options would hurt Emilia in the long run, and I don’t want that. Chase isn’t a foe defeated through battle, the wounds he has inflicted run deep, and even when he is gone there will be a much larger web to dismantle.

I settle back onto the couch and pick up the book, but continue to read the same passage over and over, while waiting for Emilia to return home. I wonder if she’s safe, if the bracelet is still working, and if I could sense if she was in danger.

The spell held well enough the other night when she saw a large spider in the bathroom, but who is to say if it will continue to hold? She could need me right now and I wouldn’t even know.

After a while, I hear the telltale sound of keys against the lock again, this time it’s Emilia. She gives me a faint smile as she closes the door, her eyes going to the book in my lap.

“Oh, that’s a good one.” She says, locking the door, “How far are you?”

“Not very,” I shake my head, “I apologize, but don’t know a better way to say this. Chase was here tonight.”

“Here?” She looks towards the small dining room as though she’s expecting something to be there on the table, her knuckles white as she grips the keys.

Her panic flares, the sensation settling deep in my chest. So the spell is still working.

“He’s gone.” I stand, crossing the room.

Emilia is stuck staring at the table until I reach out and gently rest my hand on her shoulder, bringing her out of her trance. She inhales, brown eyes blinking up at me.

“I think it’s time that you tell me everything that happened.”

SIX

Emilia

“What does the video say?”I ask, looking over my shoulder.

Silas is staring down at the phone, the video practically inaudible at this distance. I only catch a few key phrases, something about the latch and the strike plate.

We’ve been at this for over an hour already. I didn’t think I’d spend most of my day before I have to work an evening shift installing a deadbolt, but here we are. I’m on my hands and knees, the door wide open with a small drop cloth under me to catch the metal and wood shavings.

“Insert the bolt sleeve, then thread the tail piece through and connect it to the front. I think that’s the bit with the little latch.” He looks up at me, pinching his thumb and forefinger together and mimicking a turning motion.

He’s pretty cute and still not at all what I had expected.

When I think demon, I expect this old monstrous being who doesn’t understand the mortal realm because of how long he hasbeen detached from it, not someone who prefers Dunkin Donuts coffee over Starbucks.

It really makes me wonder about his life, and how long he stays here. Does he have a reason to? Is there someone here waiting for him or is this just a vacation spot for him?

He didn’t so much as blink when I told him about Chase last night. It was one of three times that I have explained the history. About how things were rocky before we moved to Moonstone Ridge as newlyweds, but Chase assured me we’d have fewer problems here closer to his family and how he’ll be able to find a steady job.

When in reality, moving here is what changed everything. The small jabs came more often, along with the jealousy and restricting who I could talk to. He told me I was difficult to love, and I didn’t understand how much stress he was under.

The breaking point happened when we were going to grab takeout, and I was sick with a cold. He took my slow movements as defiance and grabbed my arm, physically dragging me down Main Street, in front of half the town.

I began the petition for divorce and moved out that weekend while he was at work, scraping together the small amount of funds that I had for the first and last month’s rent on this place. The only one my credit score would allow.

Silas just listened with his brows creased and told me I didn’t deserve to be treated that way. That helped. Having someone look at it from the outside and agreeing that something terrible had taken place, that I wasn’t crazy or I didn’t throw away a perfectly good marriage over a misunderstanding.

The people in town were convinced I was the problem, someone even spread rumors I had an affair. Chase could never be at fault, he was the local boy with the silver tongue.

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