Wonder: A Soul Savers Collection of Holiday Short Stories & Recipes (2 page)

Chapter 3

Again, no sound came out. My body thrashed, and I tried to kick my legs, but something wrapped around them. Eris’s magic tangling me up? Had Jordan brought his evil witch with him? Well, I had my own power. I began to gather the electricity within me, growing the force into a strong current. My lids popped open to glare the revolting demon-man in the eyes before I fried his soul out of my husband’s body.

Except bright daylight blinded me.

I flew up to a sitting position and gasped as I found myself on the couch at home. Owen and Tristan, standing in the kitchen and holding plates full of birthday cake, turned to look at me.

“You slept through Halloween,” Tristan said. He held up his plate. “But thanks for the cake.”

“Bad dream?” Owen asked.

I nodded, still unable to speak. A sharp pain shot from the base of my neck to the front of my skull. I winced. They exchanged a knowing glance, and I remembered when I’d felt a similar pain—as though someone had jabbed around inside my brain while I slept. Another time I supposedly had a bad dream only to learn differently later.

“Um …” My voice came out roughly, as though sandpaper made up my vocal chords. I cleared my throat. “What happened last night?”

Tristan raised an eyebrow and studied me with sparkling hazel eyes. “We took Dorian trick-or-treating, came home, and you passed out on the couch. You don’t remember?”

Dorian bounded into the room then. “You shouldn’t have eaten so much of my candy, Mom. It made you sick and probably gave you nightmares.”

I blinked, trying to clear the cobwebs from my mind. Of course. What else could it be? Tristan doesn’t really become possessed on Halloween. I peered at Tristan—my soul mate, my true love—and he gave me my favorite grin. But something flashed in his eyes and not the usual gold sparkles.

Was that a hint of blue … or just my imagination?

ENDINGS

Did you ever read those choose-your-own-adventure stories when you were young? If you loved those, you might enjoy this story immensely because you get to choose the ending for the main character. These are all new characters living in the Soul Savers world and have nothing to do with the main series. I hope you enjoy this. And don’t worry if you cheat and check out all the endings. I won’t tell.

Chapter 1

The cool night air blasted into my face the moment my friends and I stepped out of the fraternity house, a frigid contrast to the heated party inside. I pulled my jacket tighter around my skimpy costume, but it did little to warm me up. The earthy smell of burning wood and leaves wafted in the air, and I wished I were wherever it came from, sitting next to a bonfire under the stars. It surely would have been a better way to spend Halloween night than at a frat party, especially since my boyfriend didn’t show up—maybe because he didn’t know he was my boyfriend. Yet. I just had to get him to notice me, and I thought this costume would have done it, but alas, maybe it wasn’t meant to be. I’d have to resign myself to staring at him in our history lecture every Thursday.

“Ah! It feels so good out here,” Corey said as he pulled off his mask, his voice unusually throaty. It got that way when he’d been drinking, and he’d had plenty to drink tonight. His black hair was damp with sweat and smooshed to his head. He ran his fingers through it and gave his head a shake, spraying us with droplets of sweat.

“Ew! Corey!” Whitney squealed, jumping away from him before smoothing her hand over her straight blond hair, and then wiping her palm on her skirt.

“You’re so gross,” Maria added, knocking into me as she, too, hopped away. We both stumbled—a result of heels and a few too many shots—and giggled as we used each other to stay upright.

Mike, the only other guy in our group, laughed at his roommate’s antics, making Corey grin.

“You think they purposely made it hot as Hades in there?” Corey asked. He walked backwards in front of us. He had super-long legs, and his reverse walk kept him from striding too far ahead of the rest of our group as we crossed campus from Greek Row to our dorms.

“I don’t know, but if I would have known you’d take that mask off, I’d have brought you out here sooner,” I said, wrinkling my nose at him.

“Seriously, dude, it’s creepy as shit,” Maria agreed.

“It’s a
clown
mask,” Corey protested.

“Exactly,” Whitney said.

“Creepy, pervy, stalker clown,” Maria clarified.

“The kind that likes to lure little kids into white vans,” I added with an exaggerated shudder.

“Or pretty girls,” Corey said with a maniacal laugh as he jiggled the flaccid rubber mask in front of us. The thing was even creepier when it was empty.

Whitney squealed again. “Keep it away from us!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you girls safe,” Mike said as he maneuvered himself between Josie and me and slung his arms over our shoulders.

“You’re the damn reaper,” Corey said, referring to Mike’s costume that consisted of a black robe, a mask, and a large scythe, which he must have left at the frat house, because he didn’t have it now.

“Still less creepy than a clown,” I said, and the other girls agreed.

Our conversation moved on to the best costumes we remembered from childhood as we crossed the grassy quad, punctuated by laughter at the stupidest things. Whitney and I nearly fell over from a fit of giggles but we couldn’t remember why we’d even started laughing. The alcohol was still warm in my belly, probably the only reason my teeth weren’t chattering. At least it hadn’t snowed this year like it had last—here in the mountains, you never knew if Halloween would be part of an Indian summer or bring in a blizzard. Tonight was in between, with the perfect amount of chill for a fall evening.

Thin, gauzy clouds passed over the full moon, and we all glanced upward, then launched into a new tangent about whether a full moon on Halloween was classic or cliché. And that led to a drunken philosophical discussion—the kind college students are known for—about what makes something classic or cliché.

We reached Whitney and Maria’s dorm building first, and the guy’s building was right across from it.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Maria asked me as they all paused at the junction of sidewalks that everyone called the Crossroads because eight paths from various dorms and the rest of campus crossed here.

“I’ll be
fine
,” I said a little too enthusiastically. I poked my hand out of my jacket sleeve and pointed at my building about fifty yards away. “I’m right over there, you know. You can see my window from here.”

Said window was lit up by my lame-o roommate who had probably spent the night studying. I kept trying to convince her that she was missing out on the best times of her life, and she kept trying to convince me that the next two semesters would be gone in a heartbeat, and I’d be jobless because of my GPA. Not that it sucked as badly as she made it sound—it just wasn’t perfect like hers. We were complete opposites. In fact, I was surprised the light was even still on, because I was the night owl in our room, while she was the early bird always after that worm.

Thankfully, I had Maria and Whitney, my besties at college, who were always looking for fun. Mike and Corey were friends from freshman year, too. They’d been pledges then, pressured to bring more girls to the parties, and we’d been their first invites. Our group had been together ever since. Frat parties may not have been my top choice for spending the evening, but they were better than sitting in the dorm studying. Especially on Halloween, one of the greatest holidays of all time.

“Okay,” Maria said, throwing her arms around me. “Be safe.”

“The worst thing that can happen to me is I trip on these heels,” I said, wobbling even as we stood there. “Go on. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Whitney laughed. “Or not. It might be a sleep-in day.”

She gave me a hug, too, and then she and Maria turned for their building.

“I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you tomorrow,” Mike said as he turned toward me, his blue eyes searching my face, as if for some kind of sign that I felt the same.

I sighed. Poor Mike. He was deeply entrenched in the friend zone with me, and that would never change. He just wasn’t my type at all, but he didn’t seem to realize that. Even as he leaned forward to kiss me, and I spun away. His lips skimmed my temple.

“I need my bed,” I said with longing. “Good night, boys.”

“’Night,” Mike mumbled before striding away, his voice full of rejection. My chest tightened, but what could I do? I’d done my best to not lead him on, but the boy was persistent.

“See ya tomorrow,” Corey said, then he turned and followed his roomie.

Without anyone to lean on, I knew there was no way I’d make it to my dorm in one piece. I slid off my heels before heading for the four-story building I called home these days. After leaving the well-lit area of the Crossroads, my walk home suddenly seemed unusually dark. I looked up. Well, no wonder. One of the path lights was out.
No biggie,
I told myself. Plenty of lights were lit ahead, and I made this walk at least twice a day, including at night. Laughter carried from somewhere not too far off, so I wasn’t completely alone. Still, when there was a snapping sound behind me, I jumped and let out a little squeak. I glanced over my shoulder, but nobody was there. My heart picked up speed, and so did my feet.

As I passed some bushes and then a bench with a trashcan next to it, there was another sound. My breath caught as I looked around wide-eyed. Nobody.
Stop it. You’re just freaking yourself out.
I forced a breath as I continued on my way.

And then someone jumped out at me. A snow-white face and blood red lips drawn into an insane-looking smile. Big eyes that were black and empty.

“Got ya!”

“Ahhh!” I screamed and jumped back several feet. My hand slammed over my chest and my racing heart as I took in the fake green hair, round red nose, and the familiar long, thin body. “COREY! You asshole!”

I punched him in the shoulder, and he doubled over in laughter.

“Sorry, but that was epic,” he said when he’d finally stopped chortling. “You should have seen your face!”

I scowled at him, and he made his face as straight as he could manage.

“I decided you shouldn’t walk on campus at night alone. Especially a night full of drunks and evil spirits.”

I resumed my walk. “And you thought scaring the shit out of me with that damn mask would what? Help in some way?”

He strode next to me, doing his best to keep his strides in pace with my much shorter ones. “If it scared you, maybe it scared the evil spirits away.”

I thought I heard something behind us, like a snicker, but when I looked over my shoulder again, all I saw was sidewalk, grass, and bushes leading back to the Crossroads. No people anywhere.

“I’ll be fine, Corey,” I said. “There’s nobody around, and I’m halfway there.”

I turned to face forward again and cut my eyes sideways when Corey didn’t answer. He wasn’t next to me. I turned in a circle, but no Corey. Nobody at all.

“What are you doing now?” I asked with annoyance as I headed toward my dorm. “If you scare me again, dickhead, my punch will land a lot lower than your shoulder.”

Silence greeted me.

“Corey, come on,” I said. “Where did you go?”

I looked around again even as I continued walking. He’d completely disappeared. Did he decide he wasn’t so worried after all? Or did something happen to him? The worst of my imagination ran off with me, creating all kinds of terrible scenes in my mind.

“Corey?” My voice took on a pleading tone as I pulled my jacket tighter around me. “Dude, please. I’m done with this.”

I picked up my pace. Then I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around, trying to startle him before he got me again.

I lifted my arms in the air and shouted, “
Boo!
”

But no Corey behind me.

There was someone, though.

“Oh, god, I want to die now,” I muttered under my breath.

Him
. The object of my daydreams during my history lecture. The one I’d been hoping to see at the frat house, and maybe catch his eye. Tall. Dark. And way beyond handsome into I-want-to-lick-your-face effin’
hot
. He stood right in front of me, dressed in a tuxedo with his hair slicked back, his face painted white, and his lips bright red. He was probably going for the Dracula look, and my mind quickly reeled through all the places I wished he would bite me, starting with my inner thigh.

And I’d just yelled “boo” at him.

“Um … sorry … I, uh …” I stammered, forgetting everything about the last five minutes as he gazed at me as though he wanted to taste me as badly as I wanted to taste him.

“I’ve been looking for you all night,” he said, his voice low and sexier than I’d ever imagined. No, I hadn’t actually talked to him in person before. Even though he was a frat brother to Mike and Corey, he was rarely around the house, at least when we were.

“Me?” I managed to squeak.

He took a step forward and brushed his fingertips up my arm. Even through my jacket, my skin tingled. My knees began to feel like jelly.

“You,” he confirmed. “I’ve been watching you for a long time. Will you come for a walk with me?”

He offered his arm like a gentleman. I glanced at my dorm, but my empty bed suddenly seemed less attractive than it had a few minutes ago. My eyes darted around, but Corey must have made himself scarce and gone back to his room when he saw My Guy coming. He knew there would be nothing between Mike and me and also knew this was My Guy—after all, Corey sat next to me in history lecture and put up with my sighs every week.

“Um, I guess.” I looped a slightly trembling arm through his, barely able to believe this was really happening. “Where do you want to go?”

“Not far—just over here,” he said reassuringly as we walked back toward the Crossroads. His hand clamped over mine where I gripped his forearm. A calm, warm feeling swept through me, as though my buzz had returned, but even better.

Until he steered me off the sidewalk and toward a dark copse of trees that eventually led to the forest up the side of the mountain.

I tried to pull free and turn back for the sidewalk, but his grip tightened, his arm feeling like an iron bar as he pinned me against him.

“Hey! What are you doing?” I demanded.

“I’d hoped you’d make this easy,” he muttered before sweeping me off my feet and into his arms.

The air swooshed by me at impossible speeds as he held me closely to his hard-as-steel chest. I inhaled deeply, his brown sugar-like scent coating my throat and tongue. By the time he stopped and set me down, we were far up the mountainside, and I could see the lights of campus over his shoulder, below us. The pitch black of night surrounded us. What’d happened to the full moon?

“What are we doing? Why’d you bring me here? Did you seriously just run all that way that
fast
?” The questions came pouring out of my mouth, but My Guy only sauntered closer to me without a word.

I backed up with each of his steps until my spine pressed against the rough bark of a tree.

“What do you want?” I breathed.

“You,” he said simply. His hands gripped the lapels of my jacket, and he pulled it open. My belly warmed like it does when I take a shot of tequila as his gaze swept up and down my scantily clad body. Why had I chosen to dress like a slutty witch? I knew I should be freaking out a lot more than I was, but my panic switch seemed to be malfunctioning.

At least, until his eyes came up to my face. They glowed. Bright red. Like a fucking demon.

“What the hell?” I shrieked.

I shoved my hands out at him and prepared to run, but I might as well have pushed at a brick wall. He grinned, and fangs were revealed. Fangs!
They’re not real. This isn’t real. It’s Halloween. Just a costume.
My logical mind tried to convince me, but everything else about me denied what made sense. Fear replaced the calming, almost dreamy effect he’d had on me moments ago. My heart raced at breakneck speeds. My body wanted to follow in a flight response, but I couldn’t get past him.

“I just want a taste,” he said as he moved in closer. I tried to push against him, but holy shit was he strong. “A long taste.”

His tongue slid over his lips before he dove for my throat. I was being attacked by a mother-fucking vampire! This couldn’t be happening.

He pulled back at the last moment, and when he looked at me, his eyes had returned to their dark brown. Had I imagined the glowing? They were even warm now as he cocked his head.

“I don’t really want to simply eat you,” he said as a long finger stroked over my cheek. “I’d prefer to turn you. You could be strong and invincible, like me. Have super speed and senses, and live forever. You could be mine for the rest of eternity. Would you like that?”

I stared at him with wide eyes. Was he for real? He’d make me a vampire?

“You have about three minutes to make up your mind,” he said as he leaned in close again, “before I drain you.”

My mouth fell open for a scream, but no sound came out.

The moment his fangs pierced my skin, something rammed into him. Something insanely large and furry and growling like a monster. My Guy, who was no longer
My Guy
, was knocked several feet away, but he landed on his feet. His eyes, red and glowing again, narrowed at the beast. An actual beast that stood taller than me, but looked like a wolf. They circled each other in a standoff, both of them growling, back and forth, as if having a conversation. The thought crossed my mind that I might be able to escape while they were distracted, but then the animal began to shrink before my eyes, and a strange fascination kept me planted firmly in place.

Within seconds, a naked man stood where the wolf had just been.

I was losing my mind! First a vampire, and now a werewolf. This couldn’t be happening. I must have made it back to my dorm and fell asleep, because this could only be a nightmare.

“I told you she was mine!” the wolf-dude yelled at the vampire. He seemed familiar. Did I have class with him, too?

“I got her first, though, didn’t I?” the vampire sneered.

“You were going to eat her! She’s supposed to be my mate!”

“Not if I make her mine!”

They snarled at each other again, the sounds more feral than human. Without daring to move my body, my eyes slid side-to-side as I tried again to assess my ability to run. But at that moment, they both turned on me, their eyes full of lust and hunger. Something stirred within me, but I couldn’t decide if it was the fight-or-flight response … or a mutual feeling of desire and need.