Magical Enchantment

After I'm done hugging her, I follow her to the kitchen and ask for dad.

"He's out back working on the garden. If he knew you were coming, he would have gotten the boat out."

I put on an apron and stare out into the backyard. The lake looks beautiful right now. The sun is about to set but the sky is clear. My dad is sitting on the ground digging into the grass.

"It looks good." I wash my hands and turn to the dough my mom was working on.

She pulls out a jar of dark liquid from the fridge. "You want some tea?"

"Yes, please. Do you have any food ready?"

She takes out a spread of cheese and crackers. "This can hold you over until the stew is ready."

Grayson comes yelling down the stairs with action figures in his hands. "Ace, you have to play with me." Ever since he was little, he has never tried saying my name completely. Ace was easier for him and we wouldn't have it any other way now.

"Yeah, just give me a sec, buddy. I'm just going to help mom finish this bread."

He takes the toys to the living room and starts setting them up. This is the distraction I need.

"You're very pensive today." My mom drinks her tea and sits on a high chair leaning against the breakfast bar.

"Yeah," I hope that is enough to let her know I don't want to talk about it.

She shrugs. "Are you failing any classes?" She probes. I grin but shake my head. Her brown eyes are calculating and she places a hand on her chin. "Hmm," Her face is young and the only wrinkles she has are from laughing so much. Living with someone as goofy as my father probably helps. "Did they cut you from the football team?"

I grunt. "I wish they would try." I start kneading the bread a little harder than I intend and she finally says it.

"Could a girl have anything to do with this? How is Iris?"

I slam the blob of dough down and bite my lip.

"Chase!" My father walks in and gives me a long hug. He kisses my mother and takes a sip of her drink. His once-black hair is mostly gray now. His smile is still the same as it was when I was little. Very hard to look at it without responding with my own smile.

"Don't interrupt us, honey, Chase was just about to tell me why he is being broody today. My bet is he is having girl trouble."

"Aceeee!" Grayson yells again.

"Coming!" I remove my apron and wash my hands. "Saved by the Grayson." I shrug and go to the living room.

***

There are dead bodies everywhere.

One on top of the other they are stacking right in front of me. I'm in the middle of some dark alley with fog covering up every corner. The streets are black, and the walls are black and glistening with grease. These bodies are all women and men wearing different colored robes but I can't tell what colors they are. They all look like different shades of gray and black. Their eyes are open but there is nothing in them. No souls can be found in any of them. I keep stepping back trying to move away from the bodies that are starting to fall over from being stacked so high. Voices start to rumble from the pile forming and I feel my throat tightening up.

'Everette', I'm clawing around me. Looking for him. 'Everette, I need you!'

'Chase?'

I almost faint from the relief I feel at the sound of his voice. He's here, I'm ok.

'Everette, save me.'

"Chase." The voice sounds very close to me.

I open my eyes and realize that I was dreaming. I'm back in my childhood home, in the guest room. I sit up and Everette is there at the foot of the bed.

He looks as surprised to see me as I am to see him.

I watch as he slowly crawls onto the bed. He's wearing no shirt and some flannel pajama pants. Is this real? That dream felt real. So real I feel the sweat on my forehead. My breathing is finally getting back to normal, as is my heartbeat. I turn on my side to stare at him. My eyes take in his features. His thick eyebrows are not furrowed at the moment like they usually are when we're together. His eyes are wide awake and his full lips are slightly open. His body is amazing. His arms are defined, and his stomach is flat, with not an ounce of fat. I move my hand to his chest to feel if he is real.

'How is this possible?'

'You wanted me here, so here I am.'

I jump at the sound of his voice in my head. He didn't open his mouth so I know he didn't say anything.

"That's trippy," I whisper.

"Tell me about it. One second, I'm lying in bed, thinking about-" He pauses to look at my lips. "And the next I am being dragged through space to find you here." He brings a hand to my face and rests his palm against my cheek. "Were you having a nightmare?"

I try to remember my dream but it's hard. I just remember the color gray. "I don't remember."

His thumb moves just above my cheekbone. His touch is feather light but I crave it. "You haven't been getting much sleep either?"

I huff. "You left, without saying anything." I turn away from him to lay on my back. "I'm the guy that sneaks out before the chick wakes up and wants to have breakfast." The tips of my fingers are tingling. "It's a shitty thing to do," I whisper, with a heavy heart.

"There is so much going on. How are you not afraid of all of this?"

"I don't even know what this is." I don't know if I want him to hear it but I'm tired of holding it in. "All I know is that since the first moment I saw you nothing has been the same for me."

"Chase," My stomach turns to mush instantly at the sound of his voice. "You pulled me here. I heard you in my head. I can touch you with no problem, even though my powers should hurt you, doesn't that worry you?"

"Why would that worry me? That sounds like a sweet deal." My lame attempt at lightening the mood falls flat.

He turns on his back as well and puts his hands behind his head.

"I guess you don't know much about my world. Just know that all of these things you can do are not normal for a human." He's trying to stare a hole through the ceiling. He probably can.

I think about his words. So, Jake can't do what I can? I saw him making out with Leo with no problem though. But he's right. There is a lot about his world that I don't know about. A lot about him that I don't have the slightest idea about. Now I do feel nervous.

"So, I'm not normal? I'm a freak." I state rather than ask.

He chuckles and I feel my cheeks blush. Is this why he doesn't want anything to do with me?

"If you don't want to be with me, just say so." My heart stops and I hold my breath. I don't know if I can actually take it. I know I just met him but the thought of him rejecting me is enough to make me fall to my knees. No blows to the head while playing football could prepare me for this. Even in our most competitive games, I have never felt this nervous. Even when I met Iris' parents, I didn't feel like this. No event in my life comes close.

His arm wraps around my waist and he rests his head on my chest. "Your heart is in sync with mine. Why are you upset right now?"

"What does that mean?" It's not lost on me that he didn't answer my questions.

"It means when your heart feels heavy, or when it skips a beat, or when it is elated, I can feel it and vice versa." He raises his head off my chest and places a kiss on my heart. My heartbeat speeds up and I have to look away. "Again, that is not something a human heart can take. You shouldn't be able to feel my heartbeat."

I want to hug him and pull him into me. His smell, his lips, and his mere touch are making it hard to keep it together. I want him.

He looks up and his eyes widen. "Your eyes...they're green."

"My eyes are hazel." I'm offended. Has he never noticed? I can imagine him as clear as day if I closed my eyes. Maybe I am more into him than he is into me.

"They're glowing green." He reiterates. He shakes his head. "Paul was right."

"Who the fuck is Paul?" I almost pull away from him.

He has a smirk on his face. "My father for all intents and purposes."

"Oh." My neck turns red.

He yawns and puts his head back down on my chest. "Can we please go to sleep? I haven't been able to sleep either."

At the mention of sleep, my eyelids begin to feel heavier. He nuzzles closer to me and my hands wrap around his lean body.

******

[Everette]

I'm sitting at the foot of the bed, looking down at the floating scene on the floor.

I pulled up an image of Paul and Gina, still in bed, sleeping. I wanted to make sure I could go back home without having to explain where I had been. Even after I told Paul and Gina everything that happened between Chase and me, they suggested I stay away from him until they could speak to the ancestors themselves. Who would have thought I would have no choice as to when I saw Chase next? My heart feels warm whenever I think about how he thought of me when he was having a nightmare last night. Obviously, my presence affects him in a good way.

Chase moves behind me and I turn to look at him. He's reaching for me and sits up when he doesn't find me.

His bedroom door opens up and I freeze.

"Good morning, hun. I have pancakes downstairs for you." A beautiful young woman peeks her head in the door. Her eyes look right through me and straight to Chase. She looks fairly young. I try to pinpoint any features that Chase might resemble but she leaves just as quickly as she came in.

He waits until she closes the door completely to rub his face. I watch as he rubs his eyes furiously and his neck turns red. He throws a pillow across the room and I crawl onto his lap.

His eyes snap open and he looks lost. "Everette?"

I finally realized I'm still invisible and snap my fingers so that he can see me.

"Hey," My arms wrap around his neck and his head nuzzles against my neck.

"I thought you left again." His heart flutters, or is it mine? I pull back to look at him. His eyes look irritated and I finally realize how upset he probably was the first morning he woke up alone.

"I'm here." I lean in to kiss his forehead but he catches my lips instead. The electricity concentrates on our lips until I feel sparks around us. The kiss becomes too hot for me. I try to pull away but his hands are holding my face in place. I want to give in and let him take what is his but I need to leave soon.

'Chase' I try communicating with him through our minds. His kiss gets more assertive and I open up to him. His tongue dips into my wet mouth. I feel his hardening cock nudging my ass. My body takes over and I straddle his thighs. My hips move in a lazy rhythm against him. This is not something I have ever done before but my body seems to know what to do. He growls against my lips. He's tugging at my pants and in less than two seconds the clothes between us turn into smoke. I jump when I feel his bare skin against mine. But it feels amazing. His heated member is feeding my flames and I rub my ass against it. I let my cheeks spread so that his dick nudges closely. Oh, shit he is big. The lust seeps from his pores straight into my senses and I feel him all over me. I can't stop moving against him. His touch burns in a seductive way and his teasing tongue is driving me insane.

He grabs my hips and holds me in place. "Stay still."

I grunt against his lips and assault him with my tongue. I shift so that his thick head brushes against my puckered hole with every movement. I moan again. I feel the precum from his head coat my crack and I groan. At this point, I am willing to give him whatever he wants.

"Everette," He kisses me deeply again. "We can't." I groan in frustration and move against him in a suggestive manner. "We will, baby. Just not here. Not yet."

The endearment catches me off guard. I don't feel that disappointed. I mean my body still feels like it is about to explode but I finally stop rubbing myself against him and look into his eyes. They're glowing green again. He does want me. So, why doesn't he take me?

"Because my parents are right downstairs and I don't want you to have to worry about suppressing your moans for me."

I gasp. I guess I'm so used to not sharing my thoughts with anyone that I don't usually have to worry about what goes through my head.

"I like your thoughts." He rubs his nose against mine.

"I have to go." I kiss him lightly and step away from him. He looks at my body and I see more precum seep out of his weeping hole. He wraps his hand around his thick head and gives it a light squeeze.

"I'll be thinking of you."

***

I don't even have time to take care of myself by the time I am back in my room.

Paul and Gina are waiting for me.

"Get dressed, we're going to the Roderick Coven." Paul leaves me and Gina alone.

She looks stressed but I still feel calmer in her presence. I thank Chase for throwing me my pants before I left. This would have been just that much more unbearable. It doesn't take me long to find some gray sweats and a black t-shirt. I put on my sneakers and throw my robe on.

"Have you noticed why our ancestors have not attempted to contact you?" Gina is staring at her hands on her lap.

I honestly don't want to know. I've been dreading what they are going to say but I think not knowing is worse. "Why?" I ask, quietly.

"They're upset with you. You defied them at every turn." She finally looks up at me and there are unshed tears in her eyes. "Paul is trying to reason with them but it is becoming hard. They won't speak to us until we go to the Roderick Coven."

"Why?" It doesn't make sense.

"That is where Elise is."

I stop breathing. I thought they would have moved her far away from here long ago. But what does she have to do with any of this? I reach out for Gina and let her lean against me as we leave my room. The spirits must be taking their anger out on them. Hot shame fills my body and I hug her against me. While I was with Chase, forgetting about everything that I was putting at risk, people were left here suffering. The most important people in my life. I need to get my shit together.

***

I go up to Leo and we shake hands.

I wish I could read his mind. Paul and Gina shake his hand as well. The few people who are outside today are either running, training, or keeping guard. I feel the suppressed energy beneath us. No one has said anything since we have gotten here. Leo's father is out of town, attending some business in the Midwest. Only his mother is here to greet us. Her hair is blue today. She has grown it out so that it is past her shoulders but shaved off the side of it. She hugs me when she sees me. She knows how close I've gotten with Leo.

The weather at the Coven does not reflect the weather in the real world. There is no sunlight. Looking up at the gray sky I only see the moon. The trees are mostly bear with red and orange leaves falling all over the ground. My guess is while Elise is here the weather will stay more or less the same. We walk past their main building and are now walking into the ground, literally, near the backyard of the west wing. There is only enough room for us to file in one after the other. Our guide has a torch in his hand. Once we're all in the ground he waves a hand behind us and the earth eats us up.

The tunnels look like they have been clawed by human hands. I wouldn't put it past the Roderick Coven to punish prisoners this way. They like to get creative. We walk until we come to an intersection and then keep walking once the guide says a quick spell. A door opens ahead of us and we are in a dark room. There are two people in black cloaks sitting. The only light is coming from monitors to our right. There I can see Elise sitting on a mental chair through a two-way mirror. Her hands are bound to the metal desk in front of her by thick metal chains. The tiles that cover up the whole room are glowing red. My mouth becomes dry. Last time I saw her our ancestors were helping me take her down.

"Paul, how do you want to do this?" Leo's mom looks at Paul. I guess he didn't explain any of this to her either.

"I need to speak with her. If you see anything amiss, don't worry, I have my own protection. Whatever you do, do not stop her from speaking." He turns to me then and puts a hand on my shoulder. "You have to hear this."

I don't have a chance to catch my breath. What is he doing? Are the ancestors making him do this? Why would they put his life at risk? Even though I know the Roderick Coven has had Elise under their watchful eye these past couple of months there is no telling just what her true capabilities are. This is a suicide mission. Gina comes to stand on one side of me and Leo on the other. He waves a hand so that we can hear what is happening in the other room.

"Elise," Paul sits on the chair across from her. He has his head up and his voice is calm.

She hisses. Her once straight, platinum hair is sticking up all over the place. They've cut it short. Her lips are chapped and bruised. She has a black eye. She looks nothing like what I remember. "You dare address me as your equal." Her voice is rough. For someone who looks like they have been through Hell, she doesn't seem affected.

"You're right. You are not my equal." He stands and walks around the table. He sits very close to her for my liking. Gina grabs my hand and squeezes it. "You might not know who I am but I know you. I know what you have done and the lives you have taken to put you in here."

"Souls." I lean in to hear what she says. "I didn't kill people for the thrill of it. Well, mostly. I was collecting souls." She corrects him. Her eyes are alive and she licks her lips. "And this is just the beginning."

Paul raises his hand. I don't miss the flinch that takes over her body. He only meant it to silence her. I know Paul would never hit anyone. We are healers, not punishers. It is the main thing the Knight Coven prides itself on. "I am not here to discuss what plans you may have up your sleeve."

We may not be but I see Leo's mom in the corner writing things down. I want to ask what they have been able to get out of her but I can't tear my eyes away from the beat-up creature in front of me.

"I am here because I have a theory. And I need you to help me with my conclusion."

She spits at his feet. "What makes you think I would help you?"

He crosses his arms and stares down at her, not blinking. "I have a feeling you will be invested in this person's life."

She cocks her head to the side and sits back. She tugs on the chains but they don't move an inch. "Well if we're talking about someone that I may have killed in the past, I can't help you there. You see, I tend to forget names very easily." Her tone is sickly sweet.

My fingers are going numb with how tight Gina is holding my hand. The tension in the air looms over all of us. We all want to know why we are here.

"This is about a living person. Someone very close to you." Paul states.

"Living?" She cocks her head even further. Again, she lightly tugs on the chains but nothing happens. "I don't have any living relatives, sorry doc."

A chill travels down my spine. She knows he's a healer. I have a feeling she knows more than she lets on.

"Does the name Chase ring a bell?"

All Hell breaks loose.

One second Elise is sitting perfectly still in her chair and the next she is trying to claw Paul's eyes out. He is quicker and hops off the table and gets on the other side. The tiles on the wall are glowing bright reds, yellows, and oranges. They glow at different times and some even turn black. We cover our ears at the scream that tears out of her. The lights in our room flicker on and off and the two cloaked figures run to open the door. Leo stops them.

Elise stops yelling and sits back in her chair. Her shoulders are hunched in and there is saliva foaming out of her mouth. She managed to hurt herself with the chains around her hands and cut just above her eyebrow. Her cheeks are flaming, showing her ire.

"So sorry for my outburst. Being in this small room messes with my head." She gives him an apologetic smile.