Enchanter (23 page)

“Any engagement can be broken—”

“Trust me, his can’t.”

“Nothing is final in this world.”

“That’s true, but his engagement to this girl… it’s really
important.”

“You’re not going to tell me he’s going to marry a princess
now, are you?”

“Something like that.”

“And he’s okay with going through with it even though he’s… well,
in love with you?”

“He’s not exactly okay with it, but let’s say he’s resigned
himself to the fact.”

“And what does this lucky girl think about it?” she asked.

Lucky girl, indeed.
“I haven’t met her.”

“Sounds to me like you’re in some deep shit, Leah.”

“Huh?”

“You’re in love, girlfriend.”

“And how would you know that?”

“You think I got married just because my husband looks hot
in a pair of trunks?”

“You need time to fall in love, and Brandon and me have
only—”

“Been around each other for sixteen years.”

“Being acquainted is not the equivalent of knowing each
other.”

“That’s hardly important right now, is it?”

“It is, because I found out things about Brandon Saturday
night that I never thought could even be possible.”

“Please don’t tell me he’s some kind of magic-loving maniac.”
Although she meant it as a joke, the fact that she mentioned
magic
was
not the least bit comical to me. It was a little too close to the truth.

“Magic-loving? Hardly.”

“Then what could possibly be wrong with him?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Then—”

“I’m not going to get in the middle of that engagement,
Vanessa. It means a lot to many people and it wouldn’t be fair for others to suffer
because I just happen to think that Brandon and I would make a… good… couple.”

“Things are that serious?”

“Yes.”

“Then I guess you should part ways and let him fulfill
whatever plan has been predestined for him.”

That was exactly what I should do. My attention should focus
elsewhere so that I could get adjusted to the idea and find some inner peace.

“I think you’re right.”

“Speaking of the handsome, blue-eyed gentleman.” Vanessa nodded
to her left and my gaze immediately followed.

Once my eyes drifted toward the passenger-side window, I found
the object of all my current problems getting out of his navy blue Honda.

How can I turn away from him again? I promised Brandon
that I would be there, that I would help in any way that I could. And if I turn
my back on him again, what kind of person will that make me? The kind that
breaks promises, that’s what.

The second Brandon saw me, his eyes lightened and he smiled.
The gesture touched my heart in a way that took my breath away.
Aw, damn,
I’m so screwed.
“I don’t think I can stay away from him anymore,” I
whispered, although I knew Vanessa could hear me.

“I know. Your eyes say it all.”

With that, she climbed out of the car and I followed her
lead.

Instead of going inside the building, Brandon waited by his
car and I knew that he had no intention of going in without talking to me
first. Apparently Vanessa got the message, because she hurried through the
double glass doors without glancing back at us.

Since his car was parked right next to Vanessa’s I could not
exactly brush him off and walk away without making it obvious that I was
avoiding him, so I stood my ground and waited for him to speak.

Brandon leaned against his car door without saying a word,
and I began to wonder why he was so quiet. After a few minutes however, it
dawned on me that he was waiting for the parking lot to be empty of curious
spectators before he started a conversation.

“Leah, Dmitri called me this morning.”

I did not like where this was going.

“He thinks that he may have found clues as to where the girl
is.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. “And?”

“I’m going to see him after lunch. We’re going to discuss
what he’s found.”

“Oh.” I tried my best not to let my disappointment show.
“Can I come?”

He seemed genuinely surprised by my question. “You want to?”

“Of course, I told you that I want to help.”

“If you’re up to it, then it’s fine with me.”

Brandon said nothing for a few minutes while he appraised my
face. His scrutinizing gaze made me feel nervous and oddly shy. He had a way of
looking at me that could render me speechless. However, Brandon also had an
innocent side to him, one that I found rather fascinating too.

We stared at each other in silence for a moment, until his
blue eyes changed, widening and shifting from me to somewhere behind me. The
possibility of having a fanged stalker inches away from consuming my soul
scared me enough to motivate me to take a peek back, so I immediately moved
away from Vanessa’s car and hurried forward toward Brandon’s. I bumped into him
as I hastily tried to glance behind me, nearly falling sideways in the process,
but his strong hands reached out and steadied me before that happened.

As I turned, I saw nothing and I instantly relaxed. But Brandon
sidestepped me and started for the far end of the parking lot. Since I had no
idea what had caught his interest, I did what any other curious girl would have
done – I followed.

I had to run to keep up with him. Even though he was walking
toward the end of the lot, his legs were a lot longer than mine.

“Brandon!” I called out before he disappeared through the
fence that divided Direct City Community College’s parking lot with the
abandoned construction site.

Thankfully he stopped and turned to face me.

“Leah, get inside,” he practically demanded.

“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

“Just—”

A movement behind his right shoulder caught my attention,
but before I could focus on it, whatever was out there disappeared behind the chain-link
fence.

“What the hell is that?”

He did not acknowledge whatever was out there, which gave me
the impression that Brandon knew it was standing a few feet away.

“You don’t want to know.”

The hell I don’t!
“Brandon—”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Before I could form a protest, Brandon climbed the fence and
jumped inside, leaving me alone and very confused. Because there was a huge
black tarp covering every inch of the barrier, I could not see a thing inside.
Annoyed that he had left me behind without filling me in on what caused him to
trespass on private property, I began to contemplate escalating the damn fence
when I spotted an area where part of it was separated from the metal pole.

Curiosity killed the cat, Leah!
“Yeah, like that
would ever stop me.” Taking advantage of my stroke of good luck, I hurried to
the fence and tried to calculate if the hole at the bottom was big enough for
me to make it through the other side without a problem. After a brief
evaluation, I determined that I could fit, if only barely. All I had to do was
get on my hands and knees and squeeze through. Hopefully the gigantic tree behind
me shaded me from view so that I would not be seen trespassing.

A scuffle just beyond the fence sent my heart into a race.
Fearing for Brandon’s life, I hurriedly made my way through the hole without
having to struggle too much. My purse did get caught twice, but I managed to
pull it free without tearing it apart. Luckily, the gap was big enough for me
to slip in without a problem. For someone as big as Brandon however, things would
not have been so easy. Fortunately, he was in so much of a hurry he did not even
stop to search for another way in.

The problem now was that we were both treading on private
property and chances were good that we could be spotted from campus twenty
yards away.

Oh, well, there’ll be time to worry about that after I
find Brandon.

However, trying to locate him in the jungle of the abandoned
lot was highly difficult. At some point years ago, a construction crew had come
in and plowed the old version of Direct City Community College soon after the
new one opened up. The lot remained empty for a few months before another crew
was brought in to build a set of houses which, of course, were never built.

Now the place was in dire need of a massive reshaping.

More worried about Brandon than on the failed project, I
started to carefully move amongst the discarded piles of materials now being
claimed by Mother Nature. I tried my best to walk without stumbling. Falling on
a piece of rusted metal was not something I wanted. One trip to the hospital a
month was more than enough.

Once I cleared a pile of forgotten two-by-fours, I came into
a small clearing and I heard the unmistakable sound of shuffling feet.

“Brandon?” I called out, wondering where the hell he had gone
to. “Are you here?”

A low growl followed by a set of pounding feet was all the
warning I got before a huge form jumped from behind a pair of trees and landed
about six or so feet from me.

The grotesque creature that greeted me was beyond anything
my mind could have conjured up. It was charred black, as if it had been burned
alive, had beady yellow eyes, sharp jagged teeth, and huge, menacing claws that
were easily three inches in length.

And the smell! God almighty! The stench emanating from this
hideous beast like recently burned and slowly decomposing flesh. The odor was
so strong, I gagged and had to bite down on my lower lip to keep from throwing
up.

Of course, once the shock of its surprising appearance wore
off, I became instantly aware that I was alone and at its mercy. Brandon was
nowhere in sight and the creature was close enough to hurt me before Brandon even
showed up.

Afraid, I took two steps away from it.

Where the hell is Brandon?

As soon as I moved, the creature shrieked and started for
me. I panicked and screamed. This thing could easily rip me to shreds without
even trying, and as it ran forward, it appeared to want to eat me alive. Even
though I was aware that I was about to die, I could not move. And although my
mind commanded my feet to start running, I just stood there and watched as the
menacing figure approached.

However, just as it got within five steps from colliding into
me, a white barricade shrouded around me, blocking any direct contact between
us. Although the wall appeared solid, it allowed for clear visibility between
my potential attacker and me. Once the barricade was in place, the creature
hesitated, apparently unsure of what to do. It growled ferociously and displayed
uneven and sharp teeth, but it did not advance toward me.

At first I could not understand what was going on, but as
the charm Brandon had given me the day before, now comfortably resting just above
my cleavage, began to warm against my skin, I understood that it was doing the
job my blue-eyed Enchanter had commanded it to do.

It was protecting me against evil.

Pushed by the need to spill blood, the horrid beast started
for me again. As soon as it jumped, seemingly with the intention to land on me,
the barrier expanded outward like a white, misty curtain and zapped the being
back with such force I was catapulted backward and fell on my rump on the hard
ground. The beast squealed like a wounded animal as it flew a good ten feet
away and landed with a loud thump. Within seconds of the thing landing on the dried
grass, it disintegrated.

I stared in mute silence as the creature vanished.

“Leah!” The sound of Brandon’s panicked voice caused me to
turn to my right, where he was rapidly approaching from the corner where the
creature had come from just moments before.

“I’m okay, Brandon.” And truthfully, aside from the ache in
my bum, I was perfectly fine. “That’s some serious hocus pocus mojo you placed
on this charm,” I said once he reached me.

He actually laughed. “You stubborn girl! Why didn’t you stay
behind like I asked you to?”

“And miss all this fun? No way!”

He ignored my sarcastic remark and assessed me. “You don’t
appear hurt.”

“That’s because I’m not. Your charm did its job.”

Brandon’s gaze traveled over me twice before he appeared
satisfied that I was not hurt. “Well, that’s what I gave it to you for.”

As my gaze roamed over him, however, I noticed that he did
not exactly come out without a scratch. Three long gashes ran from his left
pectoral muscle to his upper abdomen. Blood slowly rushed out of his body and
stained his now-torn black shirt.

“You’re hurt.” I reached up and skimmed the length of his
injuries.

For a few brief seconds, he said nothing and allowed for my
fingers to explore his injured skin. But my touch must have hurt, because he
winced and slowly peeled my hand away before planting a quick kiss on top.

“He caught me off guard.” Brandon released my hand so that
he could help me up before adding, “When you called out for me, I got
distracted and he… well, that’s not important.”

“Not important? God, Brandon! I’m so sorry!”
What a way
to be useful, Leah!

“I’m fine. I can heal myself, remember?”

“Oh, you can?”

“Yeah.”

Well, that was a relief. But it did not exactly make me feel
any better.

“If I hadn’t come after you, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt
in the first place.”

“Why
did
you come after me?”

“I was afraid for your life,” I blurted, easing a smile out
of him.

“That just made my day.” He grinned.

“Care to explain what that thing is?” I moved away from him
and pointed to the slightly discolored ground left behind by the creature that
had just disintegrated there moments earlier.

I did want to know what that creature was, but the real
reason I moved away was to avoid his closeness, which was unnerving me
considerably.