Shadowglen: Witches & Wolves

- 15 Years Ago -

Ten minutes. That’s all I had.

Then I’d be in Grandma’s car, heading down the mountain away from the tiny town of Shadowglen.

I might never be back.

Not that it mattered. The guy I liked had ignored me all summer.

I grabbed my suitcase, yanked the front door open . . . and nearly plowed straight into the person I'd spent the entire visit wishing would notice me.

He stared down at me with fierce, black eyes.

I swallowed hard. "Kace."

I'd returned at the start of summer to find him a good several inches taller. Back in middle school, we used to stand eye-to-eye. Now gazing up at him made my mouth go dry and heat flame in my face.

It was hard to think around him at all.

"If you're here to see my grandma," I said too-abruptly, "We're about to leave."

But his eyes skimmed right past me, like he hadn't noticed how rude that came out. Like he was busy making sure we were alone. "No, look. Do you have a minute?"

Impossibly, my throat went even drier.

Yes, I wanted to scream. Yes, I’d give you a thousand minutes. Just pay attention to me.

But I simply nodded and let him lead me off the porch toward Grandma's car. He carried my suitcase for me and stowed it in the trunk while I waited with pounding heart, wondering what he wanted to say.

Did he feel bad about ignoring me all summer? And the summer before that, too, if I was being honest. And the one before that. Maybe he finally felt bad for cutting me out with no explanation as soon as we hit high school.

It was stupid that I even still liked him.

But I did.

So much.

It never used to be like this between us. We used to be best friends, with summer visits stretching back into my first memories. Now time was running out. Senior year started as soon as I got home, and then I'd be heading off to college.

There were no more summers to spend in Shadowglen.

No chances to make up.

He slammed the trunk so hard, I jumped. A songbird fluttered out of a nearby pine, twittering in complaint.

"Jackie," Kace turned and crossed the distance between us in three swift strides.

I stepped back on reflex, shoulders hitting the cold metal of the closed door behind me.

His hands landed on the car at either side of my head, bracing himself against the frame.

Those deep, black eyes bore into mine as he held me pinned. He was all I could look at, and my gaze drifted down across toned, muscular biceps and a black T-shirt that highlighted every contour of his chest.

With one hand, his fingertips grazed my jaw, sweeping my chin up.

My heart pounded so loudly behind my ears, it was all I could hear.

Then he leaned in.

Pleasant sparks trailed across my skin as his lips grazed mine. Meanwhile, my brain struggled to process what was happening.

He was kissing me. Kace Silverwood was kissing me.

But just as I started to kiss back, he ripped himself away, splayed fingers clutching at his head as he groaned, muttering curses under his breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked, rushing to crouch on the driveway beside him.

Beside Kace. All fierce eyes and black hair, the same guy who had ignored me all summer and who'd now just tried to kiss me.

It was all too much to comprehend.

I tentatively reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but he dragged himself to his feet. I let that hand fall back to my side.

"Yep, totally fine," he said with a bitter note beneath the forced casual air. "Just a cramp."

He had to be kidding me. I stared, watching him crack his neck side-to-side while still gritting his teeth. No way.

That was no cramp I'd ever seen.

He glanced beyond me to Grandma's porch and the closed front door.

Then his eyes fell on the new necklace Grandma had given me. His lips drew into a thin line and the breath I'd just got back caught in my throat as he trailed his fingers along it, skimming the thin chain where it draped across my collarbone.

Sparks danced against my skin with his touch, so feather-light that it sent tingles chasing in its wake.

I drew in a sharp breath and Kace glanced up to meet my eyes. His expression shifted into a smirk.

A smirk that said he knew exactly what he did to me. And he liked it.

For a second, I hoped maybe he would kiss me again. Really kiss me this time.

Then he took a long step back and jammed his hands into his pockets. With a nod, he said, "Your necklace was crooked."

As if that explained everything.

Behind him, the front door opened and Grandma stepped out onto the porch.

His shoulders stiffened and his jaw tensed.

"Goodbye, Jackie." Before I could stop him, he swiveled and walked straight into the forest at the edge of the driveway.

He’d disappeared before Grandma even got to the porch steps.

Her eyes were crystal blue, still sharp despite her age.

"You all ready to go, honey?" She asked, but her gaze slid out through the trees like she knew something was up.

I smiled as naturally as I could, uncertain why I found myself wanting to hide what had just happened.

"Yep, all set." I paused, scanning across the trees. There was nothing but deep pools of shadow between them.

No Kace.

I gave up and slid into the passenger seat, shutting the door with a last, long look into the thicket of deep green pines beyond the drive.

Somewhere out there in the shadows was Kace.

And I still didn't know what that half-kiss meant, but I gripped the cold metal bar of my necklace, remembering the feel of his fingers skimming along my collarbone.

Already, I longed to see him again.

- 15 Years Later -

Shadowglen, Oregon

Someone was in Grandma’s house.

I hadn't been back in a decade-and-a-half, had only been here a few hours, and now this.

Intruders.

Stay away from Shadowglen, came the words from my dream. The words that had taken Grandma’s voice. But Grandma was gone now.

It was only me.

Prickles ran up my arms as I held my breath, listening to the muffled sound of gruff male voices arguing below.

But the warning had only been a dream.

This danger was real.

“What are you waiting for?” Demanded one of the men. “They’ve got to be around here somewhere.”

The other man’s reply was harder to hear, but I made out the words, “Vial,” and “Box.”

I clapped my hands over my mouth to stifle a curse. My eyes flicked across the dark room to land on the box I’d carried up. The one with the mysterious vials of what appeared to be smoke.

Like the one still tucked into the pocket of my jeans, where I’d left them folded on top of the dresser.

The stairs creaked and groaned as the strangers started up, and I stifled another curse. It was now or never. I crept across the room and dashed into the bathroom, where I wedged myself behind the door.

Not a second later, the light in my room flicked on.

“Hey! Get a load of this,” called the man in my room. He must have seen my unmade bed. “I think there’s someone here.”

I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes, squeezing myself smaller into the shadows behind the door. Begging them to find what they were here for and leave.

No such luck.

My mind flashed to Kace. Black hair, blazing, dark eyes. He hadn't looked happy to see me again after all these years.

Would he save me if he knew I was in danger?

If only I could find a way to reach him.

To be continued . . .

Click the button below to read more of Shadowglen: Witches & Wolves on Amazon. The next three chapters of this serial novel are FREE, and new Kindle Vella readers can claim 200 FREE TOKENS from Amazon to keep reading! Click the button and sign in to your Amazon account to keep reading this serial novel: