The darkness of the evening cast a shadow around the small shop.
"When you were ready to hear it."
He gave a subtle shake of his head. "You act as if I'm some child or that I don't know about magic."
He turned around as she sighed.
"Caleb, come sit."
He didn't move at first. But why wouldn't he hear Annie out? This was the only place he'd ever felt safe. Felt like he had a home and maybe the purpose of guarding the forest was why? Perhaps it wasn't. He'd never know if he didn't listen though.
He took a step back and grabbed a chair. Fine. He'd listen.
"Okay. What, Annie."
She smiled. "The magic here called you. I dug around the best I could to see who was coming to us. We need new blood every now and again, and you were it. But why? We didn't know either. I saw the coldness in your heart, the broken shards of a man with secrets."
He grunted.
"I know you're an orphan raised in a mostly human world. I know the boy you grew up with was killed while you served in the military together. Both those facts alone only tell us some about you. For whatever reason though, you're who the magic has chosen and that fact makes you our business and ours to care for."
She took a sip of her tea. "That forest is older than humanity I'd guess, but that doesn't matter much. All portals are watched out for, because before they were, creatures from every dimension and realm wandered freely causing a lot of havoc."
He lifted his brow. "Okay."
She leaned in closer. "Think dinosaur extinction, dear. I don't know when the first witch appeared, or the first shifter. That's all up to the history books, but I do know that guarding this gate has been in my bloodline for centuries. And, now it's yours."
A small scrape in the table held his attention, his finger rubbing along the groove.
"Okay. So what do I do again?"
She smiled. "What you already do. Let your bear guide you. He knows what to do. Nothing has disturbed us here for a long time. Those that come through have all done so properly."
He snorted. "So, it sorta sounds like you're the TSA of the paranormal world."
She laughed. "I suppose so. And you, dear, are the muscle to keep them conforming to the laws."
The hum of the fridge calmed his nerves. He could be a protector. That's what he was supposed to be good at, as long as you were human and this was a war.
"Alright. Well, thanks. Let me know if a faerie rings your metaphysical bell. Stop with the matchmaking though."
She pressed her lips and huffed. "You're stubborn. I suppose that's what I get for recruiting a shifter."
He smiled and headed towards the door again.
"Oh, Annie? Do you know anything about the ghost at the inn? It's giving Marci some trouble."
He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder, waiting for her.
"I'll call the Lowensteins tonight and see what's going on. I don't remember them mentioning anything troublesome other than health. Oh, and Caleb?"
He glanced over his shoulder.
"Do stop by Evelyn's and see if she has any new batches of berries for me."
A quick nod and he left.
All this sounded exciting, but truthfully he was still bored and restless. Fetching berries, fixing fences and toilets, selling caulking and screws. He yawned just thinking of it.
Maybe he'd head down to the tree line and see what he could sniff out. Find some adventure chasing a pixie.
His bear had other ideas though, and they all circled the sweet scent of Marci. His jeans grew tighter with each step as visions of her screaming in pleasure flashed before his eyes. He curled his fingers into his palm. He couldn't go to her.
His dick twitched. Caleb could imagine her tight heat stitching around him, and oddly he didn't feel much like heading down to the forest. He felt like tossing aside everything he thought his life should be - all for this woman.
9
Marci sat in bed glaring at the wall.
If that ghost knocked that picture down one more time, she'd exorcise the shit out of it. The ghost, not the picture. This was shit. The only good thing was Hazel cooing in her box seemingly unaware of their uninvited guests.
"What do you want?" She yelled to the wind. Nothing.
Silence. Of course. This was getting to be too much. If this ghost played one more trick...
The doorbell rang, breaking her from her thoughts.
Did she leave Hazel alone or not? "Hazel? You coming?" She asked, tossing a glance to the picture as she walked to the door.
The chicken didn't answer. Hazel pecked at the chicken feed and corn Marci scattered around the dog kennel and Hazel's current home.
She needed a home for Hazel, outdoors, but the temperatures were too cold to build anything. Marci lied to herself, the reality that she liked having company of any kind was the driving force. Once Marci got the ghost under control, she'd figure out Hazel.
She also needed to sleep at some point. Every time she tried though, the air froze around her, and things started to take on a life of their own.
Yawning she padded downstairs. There was an energy about the spirit and Marci could see threads leading to the forest she'd been warned away from. Figures, the thing wandered off but still kept coming home.
She yawned again as the doorbell chimed a second time.
"I'm coming."
The last few days had been painting, dusting, and cleaning nearly round the clock. If the ghost wouldn't let Marci sleep, it at least let her
